The Make-the-Most-of-It Salad
To my lament, some occasions call for a salad. Barbecues, daytime bridal or baby showers, and dinner with those “healthy” parents are just several instances where edible green leaves are expected. It’s difficult enough for me to work so closely with a group I generally dislike, and to make things even more awkward, iceberg lettuce infuriates Mr. P. I don’t know why, but sometimes we have to respect our partners’ secrets. Originally based on neuroses and compromise, this salad is accidentally fantastic.
1 bag baby spinach leaves, washed and drained
1 cucumber, sliced into 1/4″ discs, discs cut into quarters
1/2 C thinly sliced radishes
1/3 C chopped walnuts
1/3 C golden raisins
1/4 C thinly sliced red onion (slice thin rings, then slice the rings into quarters and separate the layers)
1/8 C olive oil
1/8 C balsamic vinegar
1/8 C maple syrup
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Put the vegetables, raisins and nuts in a big bowl and toss well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, syrup, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Don’t dress the salad until just before serving, as spinach leaves wilt quickly. This recipe makes a big salad; if you want to halve it, just use half a bag of spinach and half the dressing. The extra chunks won’t kill you.
Someone's In The Oven 
That actually sounds delicious. My friend Matt makes a mean mango/pomegranate/broiled-chicken/walnut salad that might also be to your liking and that, perhaps like yours, one might sooner call it a ridiculous melange than a salad, if not for the spinach.
P.S. Nice blog!