Alo Salad

I'm a salad junkie. Salads have come a long way from the '70s iceberg with a flavorless tomato wedge and radish slice that we grew up with.

This salad is my attempt to recreate a really good one I had at Alo restaurant in Dallas. Alo serves "Mexican and Peruvian street food" in a contemporary setting. I've been there twice and really enjoyed it both times. I had this salad the first time and had a hard time not ordering it again the second time.

The salad combines "pulled" turkey, dried cherries, apples, toasted walnuts, white cheddar and a lime-mustard vinaigrette. I subbed dried cranberries for the cherries, just because I like them better. And since it was St. Patty's, I used an Irish cheddar. I like to use a veggie peeler to get bigger shards of the cheese.

It's a good end-of-winter/early spring salad because it has the bright flavors you crave, but uses easily accessible apples and dried fruits available this time of year.

This makes a great full meal salad for lunch or dinner.

This is more of a guideline than a recipe. How much you want of each ingredient depends on you and how many you're feeding. One small apple and a handful of cranberries and nuts per person is about right. I roasted a 2.25 pound bone-in turkey breast and had enough for 4 salads and several sandwiches too. I am listing specific amounts for the dressing just to give you a sense of proportion. It should make enough to dress four salads.

Alo Salad

salad:
dried cranberries
Granny Smith apples
toasted walnuts
grated white cheddar
Romaine hearts or spring mix greens
meat from roasted turkey breast, pulled into shreds

dressing:
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons agave or honey
salt and pepper

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.

On individual plates, layer greens, apples, shredded turkey, walnuts, cranberries and cheddar. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.