In the summer heat when I can hardly bear to turn on the oven, nothing makes me happier than a good salad for dinner.

This salad is out of this world good, easy enough for dinner tonight and lovely enough to serve for company.  Serve it with grilled fish or chicken and you’ve got a great meal.

The recipe comes from my sister-in-law Jen who has been experimenting with salads all summer long, much to our delight.  With summer raspberries in season, this is a must make salad now all the way through fall raspberries.  And since the vinaigrette can be made with frozen raspberries, be sure to preserve the bounty of the season by freezing some berries for the winter.

Here’s how to make this delicious salad:

Start by making the vinaigrette.  You can make it in a blender, small bowl of your food processor, or even with a whisk.  Add vegetable oil.

Red wine vinegar.

Add 6 fresh or frozen raspberries.  If you are whisking, mash them with a fork.

Add raspberry jam.  Thankfully I still have raspberry freezer jam left from last year.

Dijon mustard is one of my favorite ingredients in a vinaigrette.

I love poppy seeds in a vinaigrette too.  So pretty.

A 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder is fast and easy.  If I have it, I also love a couple of tablespoons of minced shallots in it’s stead.

Blend it together.  Isn’t that color gorgeous.

Candy the pecans by adding butter and sugar to a saute pan over medium heat.  Once melted add the pecans and cook for one minute.  Turn out onto a sheet of wax paper to cool.  Break apart with a fork before tossing on the salad.

Layer the salad and drizzle with the viniagrette and serve.  It takes restraint not to lick the plate clean.

Summer Raspberry Salad with Raspberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

6 whole raspberries (they may be frozen raspberries)

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons raspberry jam

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (Country Style is best)

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Mix together in a blender or small bowl of a food processor.

To candy the pecans:

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup of pecans

Add butter and sugar to a saute pan over medium heat.  Once melted toss in pecans and cook for one minute.  Turn out onto waxed paper to cool.  Break apart with a fork before adding to the salad.

For the Salad:

Mixed lettuce greens of choice- I love Spring Mix mixed with Spinach)

Fresh raspberries

Candied pecans

Sliced red onion

Crumbled feta cheese

Diced avocado is optional

Layer ingredients on a platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette.

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