Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

I haven't been eating as many salads in the past few months as I do regularly. I was having some stomach issues at the beginning of the winter, and when I discussed my eating habits with my doctor, he suggested I reduce the amount of salads I eat. The reason for this is in the winter, when your body is already dealing with the cold, putting lots of cold food into it can act as a stressor. Instead, eating soups and lightly steamed vegetables can feel better to your body. This doesn't mean you should never eat salad in the winter, but I typically have one for my lunch every day. This change in my diet seemed to solve the issue. (If you are wondering what the issue was, I was dealing with some acid reflux. I apologize if this is TMI, but for anyone who may be curious, I didn't want to keep you wondering.) I also took aloe vera juice for a couple of weeks. It tastes horrible but is helpful in soothing the stomach.

When I did eat salad, however, there was a new dressing I tried that I think is perfect for winter, especially on baby spinach or mesclun greens with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, shaved carrot, red onion and feta.

By the way, there's only 20 days left until the first day of spring. Hopefully Mother Nature is aware of this and shifts the weather accordingly. I could use a sunny 70 degree day right about now.

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
1 tblsp maple syrup
1 tspn Dijon mustard
1tblsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn pepper
2 tblsp olive oil

Mix together all ingredients accept for olive oil. Then slowly drizzle in olive oil while stirring with small wisk or a fork. You could also use a blender on a slow speed.