Salad with Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

We had been out of poppy seeds for several weeks until I could get to our local bulk food store. When I finally did get a chance to go, I went a little overboard on stocking up on poppy seeds (probably why I used poppy seeds to top our homemade bagels this past weekend, too!). So when I found this salad with poppy seed dressing for a salad, I knew it would be a good use of our supply as well as an opportunity to serve the endive and green lettuce from our CSA box.  It was a great combination of flavors and a nice balance of tart and sweet.

Since it was mentioned that this dressing was pretty sweet and I like my dressings a bit more tart, I halved the sugar and substituted it with honey instead.   It ended up being just to my liking although you could add in a bit more sweet if you prefer.  We served the dressing over a bed of lettuce with chopped pecans, dried cranberries and grated smoked gouda.

Green Onion Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Taken from: A Hint of Honey

• 1 whole green onion, ends removed
• 1 Tbsp. honey (add up to another Tbsp more)
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon or dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp (3/8 cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
  

1. In a blender or food processor, puree onion with sugar, mustard, salt, and red wine vinegar. With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil. Add the poppy seeds and pulse to combine.
2. Top lettuce with pecans, cranberries and gouda, if desired. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.