Sweet Cranberry Spinach Salad

Dressing 1/4 teaspoon paprika 4 teaspoons splenda 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil Dash of salt 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds 2 teaspoons minced fresh onion

Salad 8 ounces baby spinach and baby lettuces (or use all spinach) 3 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds 6 tablespoons dried cranberries 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese or Gorgonzola 1 (1 ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained 9-12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, grilled and sliced on the diagonal Garnish: snipped chives

Make the dressing

In a deep bowl, combine paprika, sugar, vinegars, oil and salt. Whirl with an immersion blender until well combined and sugar is dissolved. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a regular blender, simply put the ingredients in a jar and shake well, or whisk together until sugar is dissolved. Stir in sesame seeds and minced onion.

Assemble the salad

In a large salad bowl, place lettuce and spinach. Pour dressing over and toss until the leaves are coated evenly. Divide salad among 3 large dinner plates. Sprinkle each salad with 1 tablespoon almonds, 2 tablespoons cranberries, 1 tablespoon blue cheese, 1/3 of mandarin oranges and 1/3 of grilled chicken. Garnish with snipped chives.

Makes 3 main dish servings. (If you want to serve it as a side dish, omit the chicken and divide among 6 salad plates.)

Substitution ideas

Substitute toasted pine nuts or toasted sunflower seeds for the almonds. Substitute dried cherries for the dried cranberries and toasted pecans for the almonds. If you don't have cider vinegar, use all white wine vinegar.

Note: Do not dress the salad ahead of time or it will wilt; dress it right before serving. And do not combine nuts and cranberries in the salad bowl; they fall to the bottom and do not get evenly distributed on the plates.