Winter Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing or one of Julie's favorite pot luck dishes

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This is one of my favorite pot luck dishes.  The dressing can be made a week in advance, the poppy seed can be substituted for either flax seeds or sesame seeds, the cashews can be successfully substituted with chickpeas, the pear and apple can be substituted for local seasonal fruit, which I am known for doing, and bagged ready to serve Romaine lettuce or mixed greens can be used in place of the large head of Romaine lettuce.

I happened upon this recipe at a Friend's Thanksgiving hosted by my friends, Bob and Michelle. Bob's mother brought this, and I instantly fell in love with it bringing it to countless pot lucks ever since.

While this recipe can be assembled the night before or at the pot luck, I do suggest some assembly of salad prior to heading out for the pot luck especially if you are unsure of what type of kitchen facility you'll have at your destination, which has happened to me during such gatherings. Some tips on partial pre-assembly:

• If using cubed apples, add them with the dressing to a freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. This will keep them from turning brown and freezer safe bag's thick plastic will help guard against puncture and leaking. 
• If using cubed apples and chickpeas, add them both with the dressing to a freezer safe gallon size ziploc bag. This will keep the apples from turning brown and save you work during final assembly.
• If using cashews or swiss cheese, add these with the dried cranberries to a quart size ziploc bag. Once again, this will save you work during final assembly.
• The salad/serving bowl makes a great container to transport an unassembled or partially assembled salad, especially if you are taking public transportation to your destination.

Winter Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (the recipe)

Dressing

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tsp chopped onion or 1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Dijon mustard or other spicy mustard such as Gulden's

½ tsp table salt or ¼ tsp kosher salt

2/3 cup oil, canola oil suggested

1 tbsp poppy seed, flax seed or sesame seed

If using a blender, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Slowly add oil until it is thick and smooth. Add the poppy seed and process for a few minutes.

If mixing by hand, add lemon juice, oil and sugar to either a salad dressing shaker, salad dressing cruet or 2-cup pyrex measuring cup. Stir until blended. Add onion, salt, poppy seed, mustard. Mix until blended.

Salad

1 large head Romaine lettuce – torn into bite size pieces or 9 oz bag of ready to serve Romaine Lettuce

4 oz. Finely shredded swiss cheese (optional or serve on side if guest(s) have dairy allergy)

1 cup lightly salted cashews or 2 cups (1 – 19 oz can) of chickpeas, rinsed

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 apple, cubed

1 pear, cubed

(In summer, seasonal fruit can be substituted for interest and color variations.)

Add lettuce to large bowl followed by fruit, cranberries, chickpeas or cashews and swiss cheese. Add dressing. Toss. Serve.