I received this recipe in my email a couple weeks ago and was salivating at the thought of making it. I finally found time and it was just as good as I thought it would be. (It didn't hurt that dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes!) I'm not a huge salad eater, but I loved the Asian inspired dressing - it reminded Justin and I of the ginger dressing they serve in Japanese restaurants. It was the perfect compliment to a nice piece of tilapia and went perfectly with my Sesame Noodles.

Sauteed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

For the Dressing:
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

For the Fish:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cups gourmet salad greens

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

To prepare fish, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Add fish to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Arrange 1 cup greens on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 fish fillet and drizzle each with 2 Tbsp. dressing.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light, August 2006

Can we just take a minute to admire my adorable polka-dot accent plates?

Okay that's enough. (They were a wedding gift and this was the first time I was able to use them!) I have made this salad several times and it always gets rave reviews. My mother-in-law said it's the best salad she has ever eaten - and that says a lot considering she eats quite a bit of salad! Once again, this can be made a couple hours ahead of time to save time right before the meal. I love this dressing because it's so light and has a perfect flavor for spring. Give it a try - it's too easy not to try!

Cranberry and Toasted Almond Spinach Salad

1 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
2 bags fresh baby spinach
1 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 tsp. minced onion
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the cranberries and almonds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving. (This will create more dressing than needed for salad.)

Source: All Recipes UK