Simple Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

For salad:

• 1 head leaf lettuce
• 1/4 pint strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

For balsamic vinaigrette dressing:

• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic, or 1.5 Tbsp minced shallot
• 1/4 tsp (heaping) salt, then more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

• Tear lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
• Toast the chopped nuts for 3 to 4 minutes in a 300F oven.
• Combine the lettuce with cheese, nuts and strawberries.
• Taste to see if lettuce is coated enough to your preferences; add more if you prefer.
• Prepare the salad dressing by adding all ingredients to a jar and shaking until combined. For best results, chill for one hour before dressing salad
• Toss salad with dressing and serve.