There is nothing like a creative dinner to get my mind racing with food ideas. After our dinner last night I have been having difficulty deciding what to make next. A lime and vanilla vinaigrette may sound odd but it is a wonderful combination with fruit and greens. Each time I went into the bowl to serve the salad an intoxicating aroma of vanilla filled the dining table. This is a salad dressing I think you will use again and again. Here is the salad we had tonight with our black-eyed peas and brown rice.
Green Salad with Apples and Grapes tossed with Lime and Vanilla Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 Persian lime, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 scoop of stevia powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups of black seedless grapes, cut in half
12 cups mesclun greens
¼ cup sliced almonds
Directions:
Combine the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, stevia and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add the apples and grapes to the dressing and toss to combine. Toss the greens with fruit and dressing. Top with sliced almonds and serve cold.
Nutritional Information:
Amount Per Serving
Calories - 196.97
Calories From Fat (36%) - 71.61
Total Fat - 8.42g
Saturated Fat - 0.88g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 17.95mg
Potassium - 568.11mg
Total Carbohydrates - 30.54g
Fiber - 6.29g
Sugar - 19.63g
Protein - 4.45g
Comments:
I happen to love the combination of lime and vanilla but wasn’t certain what others would think of it. Surprisingly everyone enjoyed this, even the elderly omnivores that you would expect would find the combination odd. So much so that my father asked for the recipe.
Each serving of this salad contains approximately 650IU of vitamin A, 75mg or both calcium and vitamin C, 100mcg of folate, and 70mg of phosphorus.
Unrelated note:
This is probably going to be my last post for the evening. My sweet hubby would like to watch a movie tonight and relax (and he doesn’t see blogging as relaxing ... go figure).
I hope you all have a great evening. Talk to you all again tomorrow.
I love the idea of using vanilla in the dressing. This must be exquisite.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued with the Persian limes; do tell more.
Wow. Vanilla in a vinaigrette. Pure genius!
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteIt has great aroma and flavor.
I specified Persian limes so that no one thought I meant Key Lime. Persian limes are the common lime we see in the grocery stores in the US. Sorry for the confusion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_lime
Alicia
Janet,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much (blushing), I really appreciate the compliment.
:)
Alicia
That's good info about the limes. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRose,
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
Alicia
Interesting. I would never have thought of vanilla and lime.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like an intriguing combination of flavors--another one for me to try out! I'm wondering how big your "scoop" of stevia is? Does it come with the powder?
ReplyDeleteyummy, more salads with fruit please!
ReplyDeleteRicki,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it is the scoop that comes in the little container of stevia. If you need more specific info on it please let me know. I am going to guess it is an 1/8 of a teaspoon or less.
Alicia
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI don't know where in my head this combination came from but we love it with fruit and greens.
Dani,
We love green salads with fruit so there will be many more in the future.
Alicia
That salad looks fantastic! Lime and vanilla vinaigrette sounds so interesting. What a brilliant idea, Alicia! I will definitely give this dressing a try very soon, thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe, Alicia!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to begin 2010, - Healthy GReen Salad with Apples and Grapes. It looks awesome and Lime and Vanilla Vinaigrette really sounds yummy..
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a happy, fun filled and healthy 2010. Also let me thank you for all the love and support extended to me and my blog. That surely is a great motivation to keep blogging.
Hi Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog through Heather's, and I'm excited to keep reading! I started a one-month long vegan challenge this month, so I'll definitely be turning to your blog for inspiration!
Happy New Year!
Oraphan,
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) Lime and vanilla is one my new favorite flavor combinatioins. I hope you like it as much as we do.
Dolly,
After a month of holiday food, I really felt like we needed to start the year off right (and healthy). I hope you like the lime and vanilla combination; I am in love with it at the moment.
Thank you for your support of my blog too. It is easier for all of us to get inspired to keep blogging when others comment. I love Indian food so I reading your blog inspires me to make it more often.
newlywednewlyveg,
Congratulations on your month long vegan challenge! I don't know where you are starting on the challenge but my hubby and I changed from eating a standard omnivore diet to vegan literally overnight. The first few weeks were difficult until I figured out what to eat (there weren't food blogs then ... can you imagine?). Now I find it easy to make tasty vegan meals. I know you can do it, and I think you will feel better (we do).
Nice to have you with us. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I am very happy to help.
I hope you are all having a wonderful New Year,
Alicia