Bacon Laced Fruit Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

3 T butter, room temperature
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon, divided
1/2 t red pepper, divided
4 slices whole wheat bread, remove the crust
1/2 C canola oil
2 green onions, chopped fine
½ C raisins
1/4 C apple cider
2 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 (10 oz) salad greens
1 pear, cored and sliced thin
1 apple, cored and sliced thin
4 pieces of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/4 C walnuts, toasted
1/4 C Swiss cheese, shredded

Directions:

Place the oven temperature on 400 degrees and allow it to heat while preparing the croutons.
Place the butter in a mixing bowl.
Add the sugar, 1 t of cinnamon and 1/4 t of the red pepper.
Mix together until well blended.
Spread the slices of bread with the mixture.
Place the bread of a baking sheet and bake 8 minutes turning once or until the bread is toasted to your liking.
Remove the toasted bread and allow it to cool to room temperature then cut into bite size pieces.
Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the green onions and stirring occasionally cook 3 minutes or until tender.
Put the raisins in the skillet and stir to incorporate with the onions.
Pour in the apple cider and vinegar.
Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, the remaining cinnamon and the remaining red pepper.
Stir until all the ingredients are combined and cook until heated through about 5 minutes.
Place the salad greens into a large salad bowl.
Add the sliced pears and apples and toss to combine.
Pour the warm dressing over the salad and toss to cover the salad well.
Sprinkle the crumbled bacon, walnuts, cheese and croutons over the top just before serving.

Serving Size:  4

This is a warm and loving salad that you can serve with your Valentine’s Day dinner. You can use grapes cut in half instead of the raisins just add them in with the pears and apples. The walnuts can also be replaced with pecans or almonds if you prefer.