recipe reviews for:

Beautiful Salad

“A spur-of-the-moment creation when I wanted something with a great flavor punch and lots of color, plus quick to prepare---this one fills the bill, with baby spinach and colorful cranberries and mandarin oranges, plus the crunch of sweetened almonds and the pungent feta cheese---a new favorite at our house! You may substitute blue cheese for the feta and any kind of sweetened pecans or walnuts, if desired, for the almonds.”

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Reviewed: Mar. 14, 2006

Great recipie! I made my own sugared almonds by heating slivered almonds and white sugar in a 2:1 ratio (2 c nuts, 1 c sugar) until dark brown, stirring constantly.

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TIMMEREDITH

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Bristol, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2006

Very good salad! I used pears and dried cranberries with toasted pecans (although I have also used dried cherries and toasted walnuts, too) instead of the oranges and almonds. I also used a locally made cherry balsalmic vinegarette. Very tastey!

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ITSMEMARGRET

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Jan. 23, 2006

I think it's great when you can't stop eating a salad because it tastes so good. It just shows that things that are healthy for you can also taste great! This was a fabulous salad. The only thing is that, for me, the amount of dressing was excessive. But that's an easy fix.

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RuthieBaby

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Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2006

I have been throwing a salad like this together for a few years. It is always delicious. I also add Perdue Short Cut Grilled Chicken on top to change up the recipe.

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

DANI80

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: West Deptford, New Jersey, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 14, 2006

My honey said it was the best salad he has ever had. I made it ahead of time and added the cheese just before serving. Thanks! I will be making this one alot :)

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18 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

SJEVES

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Canal Winchester, Ohio, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2006

I make this all the time and it is great. You will always get rave reviews when serving and you can vary it greatly. I like blue cheese and toasted walnuts best.

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12 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JDVMD

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

Living In: Paducah, Kentucky, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 11, 2006

Very nice salad, and pretty presentation. I used raspberry vinigarette the first time, which was good but I'm not crazy about how sweet it was. I would recommend blue cheese crumbles and balsamic vinegarette dressing to go more 'tangy' than sweet. I'll be making this a bunch.

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9 users found this review helpful

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MELPRES

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Reviewed: Jan. 9, 2006

We were sick of ordinary salad, so I decided to try this one. It was very good. Made it to go with "real Italian calzones" from this site.

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7 users found this review helpful

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jess17

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Jan. 7, 2006

I made this for a dinner party. It was great! I forgot to put on the feta, but it was still very good. Thanks!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Chrissy

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Dec. 28, 2005

My husband LOVED this salad, which really surprised me since I didn't expect him to like the mandarin oranges and cranberries so well!! But he's raved about it all week. I've made it twice now and I found it was MUCH better the second time because I tossed it and kind of coated it well with the dressing (I used Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinegar.) It wasn't nearly as good when it wasn't coated well and was a little dry. We'll definitely keep making this one!

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7 users found this review helpful

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LWOODS111

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Austin, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 23, 2005

This is a wonderfully refreshing and filling salad! We make it all the time now. One thing we like to add to make it more of a meal is cubed baked chicken. It's great either way!

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

ANJA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Alameda, California, USA

Living In: Oakland, California, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2005

Very good salad and it does make a beautiful presentation. I served it at a dinner party for my family and everyone loved it. Even my sister-in-law, who is pretty picky, asked for the recipe. I substituted sliced green onion for the red onion because I had some on hand, but will try it with the red onion when I serve it again with Thanksgiving dinner.

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6 users found this review helpful

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CHERILJ

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Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2005

Very nice salad! I made this tonight as part of a special dinner to surprise my husband, and he loved it. It was quicker than making a traditional tossed salad, and it looks very fancy. I used Emeril's raspberry balsamic vinagrette for the dressing, which was very good. I will definitely make this on a regular basis. Thanks for the recipe!

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

CTCOOK1

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA

Living In: Windsor, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 28, 2005

This is very much like the prepared Grand Parisian Salad that is sold at Costco. They include Gerard's White Balsamic vinaigrette and fancy greens instead of spinach.

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6 users found this review helpful

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Red Death

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Madison Heights, Michigan, USA

Living In: West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Aug. 1, 2005

I served this at a dinner party as the salad course between two other Allrecipes: Ali's Amazing Bruschetta (appetizer), and Clam Sauce With Linguine (entree). Big hit! Per other review I added some chopped romaine for variety/color. I forgot to buy red onion but it was fine without.

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6 users found this review helpful

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Terri J

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Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2005

I needed a quick, healthy dish to take to a post-triathlon party so I tried this. I went to the grocery after the race and threw it together. It was a huge hit with my team and I'll definitely be making this again and again.

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DTSCEP

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 7, 2005

Made this salad for 100 people at a Mother's Day dinner at church; and for 60 people at a graduation banquet. It was an absolute hit. It is very beautiful, very tasty with many levels of flavors (made it with a raspberry basalmic vinaigrette), was easy to prepare,and not too expensive. Consequently, I already have plans of serving it again - this time to 120 women at a Church retreat. Highly recommend this salad.

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Reviewer:

JENNY939798

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Reviewed: Jun. 14, 2005

This is a sophisticated, yet easy to prepare salad. I made it for a luncheon and had rave reviews! I used the Brianna's Blush Wine dressing, and sugared walnut pieces- made it ahead and let it chill about an hour. Highly recommended!

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Kate

Cooking Level: Professional

Living In: Greenville, South Carolina, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 7, 2005

Very Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!

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6 users found this review helpful

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SEE NU

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Apr. 20, 2005

This was wonderful! It was such a nice break from regular salad, it was light but very filling with the nuts and cranberries. I added romaine lettuce for a different texture, and used sugared almonds instead of honey roasted ones. We served it at a dinner party with the Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (found on this site) and it was delicious.

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17 users found this review helpful