Mesclun, Mandarin Orange, Almond and Gorgonzola Salad

Yes. It's hot as the hinges of hell here in Boston, and along the whole northeast. I'm quite sure that my electricity bill is going to scrape the very lining of my pockets next month to pay for all the damn air conditioning that I am using. I want to bake, and sauté and grill, but there is no way on God's green earth I am getting within ten feet of a heat source until at least Friday night when it actually begins to drop below 80 degrees.

There was a wonderful farmers market on Monday at City Hall Plaza. There were numerous vendors, all pretty much selling the same thing, but at least you got to chose from the best of what each vendor brought. I bought the mesclun mix (mesclun is a French term used for a mix of tender young salad greens) at the market knowing that I would need a quick and heat free meal to prepare on Tuesday night. I decided to put together this quick salad because I liked the idea of the oranges with the gorgonzola.

Salad:
One bag mesclun mix
One small can mandarin oranges (juice reserved for dressing)
1/4 C slivered almonds (you can toast them if you want, but I wasn't about to turn on the oven)
1/4 Gorgonzola Cheese

Dressing
Reserved mandarin orange juice
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
pinch basil

I put all the salad ingredients into a large bowl, prepared the dressing, then poured over the whole salad and tossed to coat the entire contents of bowl.