Grilled Chicken Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Salads are yummy and main dish salads are even yummier.  To be honest we ate this quite awhile ago, I've just been lazy with the cooking blog, but looking at it now that we're into full-on summer, I know how desperately I need to make it again.  Grilled chicken, toasted almonds, flavorful red onions, crispy bacon and the world's best poppyseed dressing make this a most satisfying warm weather meal.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

{Recipe from The Sister's Cafe}

Spinach leaves

Chopped romaine

Grilled chicken, seasoned with lots of lemon pepper (or your fave marinated grilled chicken)

Red onion, thinly sliced

Crispy crumbled bacon

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted (in oven) or sugared almonds-about equal amounts sugar and sliced almonds cooked in skillet over medium heat until sugar melts and almonds are well-coated and golden.

Poppyseed Dressing:

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 t salt

2 t dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 T sweet onion, chopped or grated

2 cups canola oil 

3 T poppy seeds

Mix first 5 ingredients in blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick.  Stir in poppy seeds.  This makes quite a bit of dressing.  And I like to add a couple drops of red food coloring to get that pinkish hue.

Mix all salad components together, there are no "amounts", just add however much you would like of each item.  Can either dress salad and serve or serve dressing on the side.