Chopped Endive, Gruyere, Apple and Avocado Salad

 Go ahead and say it...this is a chick meal. I know any "dude" wouldn't want to order it in a restaurant or would pass it up most likely at a potluck for something more "dude" like. Something with meat. Something with no fruit. Something that doesn't have an ingredient a "dude" does not know how to pronounce. 

OK so you are probably right. Ladies like our salad. We fantasize about fitting into dresses we purposely bought a size too small, so we order salads instead of steak. It is just something we do and we don't much care what you think. 

 I remember going on first dates and having dinner. And thinking the whole time while looking at the menu, what can I pretend to eat that I won't get on my outfit, won't get stuck in my teeth, and won't make me look like I haven't eaten all day (even though I haven't). 

First dates are tough. Even if you are on a first "date" with someone who you have been friends with and you decided hey let's give this a shot with the whole dating thing. 

But then there are some first dates that are so incredibly comfortable and pleasant that you just order whatever the hell you want because the person there with you enjoys your company and conversation more than your choice of menu items. These dates are awesome. These dates your remember. These dates you hope you have again and again. 

On occasion I pick up this magazine called Clean Eating. I really like it. It has some really great recipes and ideas for "clean" eating. We all need to step away from the french fries sometimes and dive into something really delicious and health. I came across this recipe from Clean Eating and I decided to take a spin on it. So I used oranges instead of grapefruit since I didn't have any and some dried cherries instead of pomegranate seeds. I also had some great Gruyere cheese that I was desperate to use somehow. I think it came out really great.  

Chopped Endive, Gruyere, Apple and Avocado Salad
For the Salad:
1 medium orange, cut into segments
1 avocado, cut into chunks
5 Belgian endive, sliced into 1/4 inch chunks
1 medium granny smith apple, cut into bite sized chunks
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese, cut into bite sized pieces

For the Dressing:
Juice of one orange
1 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 Tbls champagne vinegar
salt and pepper

To make the dressing, cut the outside the orange so you see the bright orange pulp. Over a bowl squeeze the orange with your hands to extract the juice. In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey and vinegar. Now drizzle in the orange juice and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

To make the salad, toss all of the ingredients together gently to distribute all of the ingredients. Place salad in a bowl and top with your dressing. You can salt and pepper the top of the salad if you wish before serving.