I eat salads year around but January is always the month where I struggle a bit with what will go in my salads. Summer is easy-breezy, but January is tough. There aren’t that many fruits and veggies that excite me that are also in season. We’ve been making an iteration of this salad the past couple of weeks and it’s the perfect side when we roast a chicken or eat some fish.

I’ve been really into nut oils lately and hazelnut oil has really taken the lead as being my recent favorite. I will admit that it’s on the pricier side but a little goes a long way and the flavor is out of this world. Feel free to replace it with avocado or olive oil. I’ve also had tons of Meyer lemons around and while I usually like more acid from a lemon, I’ve been feeling the sweeter sides of them lately. The grapes and crumbled feta are lovely additions to this salad. Hope you enjoy it!

Grape and Feta Salad

Make this grape and feta salad a go-to side dish for your main protein. It's on the sweeter side and the hazelnut oil adds a burst of flavor. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• Salad Dressing:
• 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil (or any other nut oil or olive oil) 
• Juice from 1 Meyer lemon or regular lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• A few rounds of freshly ground black pepper 
• Salad:
• 2 cups of baby spinach 
• 2 cups arugula 
• 1 cup seedless grapes, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta 

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add the hazelnut oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Whisk until combined. 
2. In a large bowl, add the spinach, arugula, grapes and sliced almonds. Toss until the leaves are evenly coated with the dressing. Garnish extra sliced almonds and feta, then serve.

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.