Tasty Tuesday: Mandarin Almond Salad

 I love salads and this was an awesome salad I made a few weeks back.  As always you can tweak the recipe as you like.  The last time I made this we actually did not add any dressing or sugar the almonds and the recipe was just as awesome.  Plus it was a whole lot healthier!! The picture above is my own version without any dressing or sugared Almonds.  We are big fans of cheese though so I did add a bit over the entire bowl of salad.  We found that the juice from the oranges gave the salad enough moistness.  This is the original recipe have shared that I found on All Recipes, but have fun with it and make it your own!

Mandarin Almond Salad

1 head romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried and chopped
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, oranges and green onions. 
 
Heat 2 tablespoons sugar with the almonds in saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir while sugar starts to melt and coat almonds. Stir constantly until almonds are light brown. Turn onto a plate, and cool for 10 minutes. 
 
Combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, one tablespoon sugar, red pepper flakes and black pepper in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously until sugar is dissolved. 
 
Before serving, toss lettuce with salad dressing until coated. Transfer to a decorative serving bowl, and sprinkle with sugared almonds.  


Enjoy!