Spinach Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Salads make an appearance at almost every dinner at my house. That is a lot of salads and they can get boring fast. I like to mix things up by making a wide variety of salads based on my mood and what compliments the meal we are having. Fall apples are a main staple at farmers markets and grocery stores this time of year, which inspired me to make this Spinach Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Goat Cheese.

When I make salads I like to try and make my own dressing. I think homemade versions taste freshers and you know exactly what ingredients you are putting in it. I recently received a bottle of Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil to try out. I thought what better way to test out this olive oil then a salad dressing. A salad dressing can showcase the flavors of an olive oil and give you a pretty good idea of the quality and if you like the taste.

I really enjoyed the Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil–it has a light, robust flavor and worked great in this lemon vinaigrette. After a little research I learned that Pompeian Olive Oils started in Tuscany and became America’s first national brand of imported extra virgin olive oil. On a side note: I had a chance to do an olive oil tasting in Tuscany and this reminds me of the olive oils I tasted there. I was in heaven–Italy, wine and olive oil tasting…can’t get much better than that!