This is a recipe I tried to re-create at home from one of our favorite Sacramento restaurants, Paesano’s. It has a bunch of yummy flavors and textures and I think that’s key to making a good salad. It has sweetness from dates and corn, creaminess from avocado and goat cheese, a crunch from slivered almonds … this is such a good salad!

I don’t typically measure out the ingredients, instead I add as much of everything as I like, but here’s about how much I typically add. Feel free to add more or less of ingredients you like. 🙂 You can also add chicken to this and make it a meal.

Farmers Market Salad with Cornbread Croutons

• 8 ounces of mixed greens
• 2 beets, chopped
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 2 dates, pitted and diced medjool dates
• 3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• sprinkle of goat cheese
• Cornbread Croutons (see recipe below)
• Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
• Cubed chicken (optional)

Cornbread Croutons

Make a pan of your favorite cornbread, like this one from Dinner then Dessert. Once the cornbread is baked, cut about half of it into bite-size pieces. Place the pieces on a greased cookie sheet and broil for a few minutes until it’s golden on top. Let them cool for a few minutes, then top on your salad.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

In a salad dressing shaker (I have this OXO one and love it) mix together ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 small garlic clove, minced and salt + pepper to taste.

Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl and top with croutons and dressing.

Enjoy!