Autumn Spinach Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients

• 9 oz. baby spinach
• 3 small mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented
• 2 small red gala apples, cored and diced
• 2 bartlette pears, cored and diced
• 1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Whisk the salt, poppy seeds, dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, orange juice and orange zest in a medium bowl until everything is blended. Drizzle in the canola or vegetable oil and the olive oil slowly, whisking the whole time, until the dressing comes together and looks emulsified. Set it aside.
2. Add the feta cheese, pecans, pears, apples and mandarin oranges to a large bowl. Spoon the dressing over the salad mixture, then toss until evenly coated.
3. Arrange the baby spinach on 4 plates or in 4 bowls, then add an even portion of the dressed fruit mixture to each one. Serve right away.