Fall Salad, L.A. Style

Boooo! Happy Halloween! And Samhain to any of you practicing the Old Religion! Wherever I have lived in the past, this weekend was the true harbinger of Fall: crisp air, chilly nights and bundling up for trick or treating or at least for handing out candy at the door.

But I live in L.A. now where Halloween is simply a formal excuse to dress even sexier than you normally do - indulging in that fantasy of a slutty nurse or French maid or a Marlborough man or a Chippendale stripper. With the balmy weather, it hardly feels like Fall to me.
 
Of course whining about the warm weather never finds a sympathetic ear. On the up side, fall salads look like this one - strawberries, pomegranate seeds, cucumbers, bell peppers and cilantro - along with the familiar hardy veggies like this gorgeous red cabbage. While it is my third Fall in California, I'm still adjusting, so I'll seek solace in the local cornucopia and try to make it through!

The dressing on this salad is fairly basic...except for the gourmet aged balsamic dressing. I bought some this summer at a local market and gave it as gifts, including to myself. If you come across some aged balsamic (15 years minimum) snatch it up. You'll never regret it. Just a splash lends incredible flavor and its sour sweet balance was the perfect compliment to the tart, sweet, earthiness of the salad.

Fall Salad, L.A. Style

2 cups red cabbage, shredded
1/2 red pepper, julienne
1 persian cucumber, sliced thin
4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
1 cup strawberries, cored and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon vanilla fig balsamic vinegar (aged)
8 oil cured black olives
croutons for garnish

Combine all veggies in large bowl. Toss with olive oil, lime juice and balsamic vinegar. Serve with croutons as garnish.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Profiteroles at The Minimalist
Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas with Pear Salasa at Bitch'n Camero
Peas and Potato Curry at ECurry