Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Salad

This week I had dried cranberries, sliced almonds and feta cheese already on deck from last week’s edamame salad.  I also had a red pepper in the refrigerator and thought that would be the perfect excuse to add everything together and make a salad.

My step-mother-in-law was visiting us for Thanksgiving and had a few pointers to show me on how to make the flavor of ingredients pop.  I have enjoyed eating roasted red peppers before, but had never made them on my own.  As it turns out, it is a pretty easy thing to do!

We topped it off with toasting the almonds and made a homemade balsamic dressing.  After the roasting and toasting, it only took about ten minutes to combine everything together and plate it up.  Scott raved about it, so it might just make another appearance on the dinner table this week.

 Ingredients

Salad:

equal parts romaine lettuce

equal parts fresh spinach

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 roasted red pepper

Dressing:

1 tsp. mayonnaise

1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

small amount of feta cheese crumbles

salt and pepper to taste

*makes enough for a light drizzle.

prep time: 40 mins. (30 is roasting pepper)

servings: 4

Directions

1. Roast the red pepper.  (Directions below.)

2. Toast the sliced almonds. (Directions below.)

3. Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Combine salad mix, chopped roasted red peppers, and toasted almonds in large bowl.

6. Sprinkle feta cheese over salad.

5. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat thoroughly.

6. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Breakdown

(Roasting Peppers)

If you have a gas range, turn the burners on high and place the peppers direction onto the grates.  If not, you can use a conventional oven at 450°F.

Using tongs, turn the peppers so they get evenly charred by turning every 15 minutes. Peppers can be cooked on the grill the same way.

As soon as the pepper is blackened, place it in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plate or with plastic wrap.  As the steam from the pepper condenses, the skin becomes easier to peel off.

Once the pepper has cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard.  You can do this with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.  Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds.

See additional tips and details, via the Food Network.

(Toasting Nuts)

Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking pan – preferably one with walls –  for toasting in the oven. Cook at 400°F for 7 to 10 minutes or until the nuts start to turn golden. Shake the pan halfway through toasting.

(Dressing)

Whisk balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise together.  Drizzle in oil while whisking.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk in a small amount of feta cheese crumbles.

Combine salad mix, chopped roasted red peppers, and toasted almonds in large bowl.

Sprinkle feta cheese over salad.

Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat thoroughly.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve and enjoy!