Not-Your-Ordinary Fruit Salad

This is not your ordinary fruit salad because tomatoes, olives, and avocados are not often thought of as fruits.  Before I named this salad and blog post I felt the need to double check.  Sure enough, according to a variety of internet sources tomatoes, olives, and avocados are indeed fruits.  Add apples to the ingredient list and that makes four fruits in this salad.  This salad is a bit like a party in your mouth because of the great textures and flavors.  The creamy texture of the avocados offsets the crunchiness of the apples and carrots. You also can taste bitter and sweet flavors from the lettuce and a nice salty bite from the olives. I recently inherited this recipe from a friend who discovered this combination completely by accident.  When my friend put a salad together for her and her husband one night for dinner she used what she had on hand.  Her husband liked the combination so much that he asked her to make this for a dinner party a few nights later.  My husband and I were a part of this dinner party.  After my first two bites of this salad, I was begging her for the recipe.  I hope you try it and like it as much as I do.

Not-Your-Ordinary Fruit Salad 
(makes enough for 1 large family-style salad, 2 large entree salads, 4 side salads, or 6 appetizer salads)
4 cups red leaf lettuce any sweeter lettuce (about 1/2 head)
4 cups escarole or a bitter/strong lettuce (about 1/2 head)
1 medium carrot
1/2 red apple (Ambrosia or Pink Lady are delicious choices)
1/2 ripe avocado
2 green onions
3 to 4 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
6 green olives with or without pimento

Optional:
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I only had mild and it was still delicious)
grilled chicken
crumbled bacon
Serve with Ranch Dressing or Balsamic Vinaigrette
Note: this recipe can easily be doubled for a large dinner party

1) Gather and wash all the salad ingredients.

2) Tear lettuce by hand into bite sized pieces.  Chop the next six ingredients into bite sized pieces: carrot, apple, avocado, scallions,  sun-dried tomatoes, and olives.

3) Optional: add shredded cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, and/or crumbled baked bacon.

4) Top with your favorite ranch dressing or balsamic vinaigrette.  This is my new favorite balsamic vinaigrette.  Mix the following ingredients in a jar and shake well.

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup quality olive oil

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of quality balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard (I only had regular yellow and it was still delicious)

Note: this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a large dinner party