Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Today I went to California Pizza Kitchen for the first time. Yep, the first time. And I got to sample several dishes since the ladies I went with all shared family style. Two of the dishes were salads, very different from each other. One with watermelon and strawberries and the other was a Thai salad. They were both super yummy and I hope I can have them again sometime.

It reminded me that I made a new salad last month that I never posted on my blog, so here is the salad from Cooking Classy, which has an orange dressing to kind of go along with the orange theme from the last post (Orange Bars). As you can tell by the photos, I threw some oranges into the salad, but the dressing has a fresh citrus flavor so you don't need to if you don't want to.

Cranberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Chicken and Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Dressing:

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. canola oil

2 t. orange zest

1/4 c. fresh orange juice

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. honey

2 t. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. salt

1 T. poppy seeds

 

Salad:

1 lb. chicken, grilled

9 oz. baby spinach

2 medium avocados, cored and diced

1 c. crumbled feta

3/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted

3/4 c. dried cranberries

 

Add olive oil, canola oil, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard and salt to a blender. Pulse until well emulsified. Pour into a jar and stir in poppy seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.