Cranberry Salad

This is a salad recipe from "Allrecipes.com". Perhaps a reason for cuisine suicide. "Oh, I knew you were a vegetarian, so I made a salad for you", "Hello, do you have any vegetarian options on your menu?" "Yes, Cesar salad." I do like salad on occasion, but I am not a rabbit and I have no plans on being a rabbit in the future.  That being said, this is a good holiday salad, simply for its colors! It is by far the dressing that makes this recipe delicious. Although I would make it as is the first time, you can start to tweak it by adding pears, apples, or strawberries. You can use walnuts instead of almonds, and maybe even a different type of leaf such as romaine, or a good mix. The skies the limit, or maybe the grocery store!

Ingredients (serves 6 or more):

1 tsp oil

3/4 cup almonds, slivered

1 pound spinach, rinsed

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons minced onion

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup red wine vinegar ( I have used apple cider vinegar as well)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil, or vegetable oil

1) Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the almonds for about 2 minutes, shaking constantly so they don't burn.

2) Whisk seeds, vinegars, sugar, paprika, onion and oil in a large bowl. At this point you can reserve the dressing, so that the flavors have time to mingle (it gets better and better), or toss in the spinach, cranberries, and almonds right away. Enjoy!