Autum Salad

• 2 heads of red leaf lettuce, torn (or you can mix in some Bibb or Romaine - or use field greens)
• 1/2 cup watercress (remove excess stems)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (slice on the diagonal - just as easy as chopping but looks prettier)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion (again, slice the scallions on the diagonal)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2-3 oranges, slice off the peel and pith, section (the recipe calls for canned mandarin oranges but fresh oranges or blood oranges are worth the extra trouble)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries (add more as desired)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• Crumbled blue cheese, if desired (Maytag Blue is a favorite)
• Dressing:
• 1/4 cup each, olive oil and canola oil (or grapeseed)
• 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon of the juice from the oranges, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce

1. The dressing really makes the salad. Everything can be prepared in advance and the greens can all be mixed. I'll chill the orange sections and the cranberries. Just combine everything with the crumbled blue cheese and almonds (toasted in advance but kept separate until time to serve). Dress as desired (I dress salads pretty sparingly).
2. This salad is so pretty in the fall - I've served it with both Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve dinners.
3. Variation - I've made it with beautiful sliced red flame pears and dried cherries, omitting the oranges and substituting toasted walnuts for the almonds. I made the dressing with 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1 tablespoon walnut oil plus added a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
4. I've also made it around Valentine's Day with blood oranges and fresh raspberries.

red leaf, celery, scallion, ubc, oranges, ubc, ubc, blue cheese, dressing, ubc, ubc, sugar, oranges, worcestershire sauce, salt

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/autum-salad-50150362 (may not work)