Is it a sweet salad????

That's the first thing my six year old asks whenever I say we are having salad. He will eat anything, but has a decided preference for SWEET things. He thinks dried fruit is candy, so when I make this salad it's like he's getting candy for dinner, ha! Parenting win!

Sweet Balsamic Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

1 head each, Romaine and Red leaf lettuce, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
2 small or 1 large sweet apple, diced

For the dressing:
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar*
1 tbsp honey (or sugar, for vegan)
1/2 cup olive oil

*for balsamic vinegar, the ingredients should just be grapes and/or vinegar, no coloring or flavoring nonsense. Costco actually sells a really nice one under their Kirkland label.

Salad dressings are super easy to make at home. People get addicted to all the crazy crap they put in processed foods, namely all the sugar and salt. But try making your own and give your taste buds some time to chill out. It's also much easier on the wallet. A basic vinaigrette is dijon + garlic/shallot + vinegar/juice + oil. For a "sweet" salad, add a little sugar or honey. Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor bowl and process to combine or simply put in a jar and shake vigorously.

Toss your lettuce with your dressing, then top with apples, cranberries, onions, and walnuts.