Recipe: Spring Salad w/ Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette.

 
Salad:

Baby spinach & spring mix, 50/50 blend
3 slices bacon
Feta cheese, crumbled
Pine nuts
Cracked black pepper

I prefer my bacon cooked in the oven, but if you use a different method feel free to skip these first few steps on cooking the bacon :)

Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Lay bacon slices on top of cooling rack (this way, the baking sheet catches the grease drippings but the bacon doesn't sit in it while cooking). Place baking sheet in the oven and turn oven on to 400°F. Set timer for 18 minutes. Once bacon is finished cooking, remove from oven and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. Break up bacon into small pieces and set aside.

While bacon is cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Once hot, drop a handful of pine nuts into the pan to toast. Shake pan around almost constantly to prevent burning. When pine nuts have a light golden color to them they are finished.

Assemble salad: lettuce, bacon bits, feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts, top with cracked black pepper to taste. Drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette dressing (recipe follows). YUM!

Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing:

1 c oil
1 c white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c fresh raspberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In a medium bowl combine oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk in mustard. Set aside.
In a food processor, puree raspberries and garlic. Slowly add oil and vinegar mixture and continue to blend. Add in sugar, parsley, salt, and pepper. Once fully mixed, strain through a strainer to remove raspberry seeds from dressing. Pour into desired air-tight container and store in the refrigerator.