Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

One of the tasks I was assigned this Thanksgiving was to bring a salad to dinner. I don't know about you, but the same old green salad bored the bejesus out of me, so I decided to make something a little different. I found a recipe for a fruit salad and kind of adapted it to my taste, and came up with this creation. I think it was a hit!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons diced onion
* 1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

* 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
* 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
* 1 cup cashews
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
* 1 pears - peeled, cored and diced

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

2. In a large serving bowl combine the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat.

This is light and yummy and would make a great lunch all by itself.