Take Two

I feel kinda bad. I offered to submit a tasty strawberry recipe to Cooking In Cleveland's food blogging event and all I did was give a pictorial for something out of many reader's reach. It was a nice gesture, but kinda over-the-top, soooooo I wanted to make it up.

I'm submitting another recipe for a very simple and bright Strawberry Salad. There's really not much to the salad, per se, but its charm and zing is in the dressing. I think the dressing would be perfect for just about any salad!

Strawberry Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Recipe source: Southern Living

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (I forgot to add these)
1 avacado, sliced
1 head of lettuce, your choice (I used iceberg, but romaine would be good too)
Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with half of Cinnamon Vinaigrette, tossing to coat (I omitted and preferred to let guests put their own dressing on). Serve with remaining vinaigrette.

Cinnamon Vinaigrette Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup rasberry vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine olive oil and remaining ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Chill at least 2 hours; shake well before serving.