AMAZING SPINACH SALAD WITH SWEET-SPICY NUTS, APPLES, FETA AND BACON by Mels Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt, more or less to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Sweet Spicy Nuts:

• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup granulated or brown sugar
• Pinch cayenne pepper, more to taste if you want
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Salad:

• 16 ounces baby spinach or spring greens, or a combination
• ½ small red onion, slivered (see note about tempering the onion flavor)
• 6 to 8 slices bacon, regular or thick cut, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbles, more or less to taste
• 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries, more or less to taste
• 1 to 2 honey crisp apples, cored and sliced thin

INSTRUCTIONS 

• For the dressing, blend all the ingredients until smooth or combine in a jar and shake until well-combined. Refrigerate until needed (or up to several days)
• For the nuts,

  add the water, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper to a skillet set over medium heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. Add the nuts and stir to coat. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring slowly but constantly. Spread the nuts evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool. Break into pieces.
• To assemble the salad, toss all the salad ingredients together along with the cooled nuts. Toss salad with the dressing OR serve the dressing alongside.

Onions: to temper the strong flavor of the onions a bit, soak the onion slices covered in cold water with a bit of baking soda (I use about 1/2 teaspoon soda). Let them sit for 15-20 minutes then rinse and drain well.

Make-Ahead: all the components can be measured out/prepped ahead of time and stored separately (I like to soak the apples in a bit of lemon juice in water to help prevent browning). Toss together right before serving.

Santa Rosa Chicken and Wild Rice Salad by Mels Kitchen Cafe

 

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

• 3/4 cup (170 g) wild rice blend (see note)
• 2-3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken is a great option (see note)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas, chopped, blanched asparagus works great as a sub
• 1-2 avocados, peeled and diced
• 1 head butter lettuce, chopped (optional)

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup neutral-flavored oil, like vegetable, canola, avocado
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Cook the rice according to package directions. Scoop the cooked rice into a large serving bowl and let cool to room temperature (alternately, the rice can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until needed).
• Add the chicken, bell pepper, peas (or asparagus, if using), and avocado.
• For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a jar or blender and shake/process until well-combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
• Pour about 2/3 of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more dressing to taste or for desired consistency, if needed.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate the salad for 1-2 hours (you may want to save a bit of the dressing and toss the salad with it before serving if it has been refrigerated).
• Give the salad a good toss before serving.
• The chicken and rice salad can be served: a) on its own, b) over a bed of chopped butter lettuce, or c) tossed WITH the butter lettuce. Yum!

NOTES

Rice: the rice blend used in this salad is very adaptable! I've used a boxed wild rice blend before, as well as the brown rice medley from Trader Joe's. Another time I made it, I used a rice/quinoa blend I found at Costco (not sure it even had wild rice in the ingredients, but it was still tasty). 

Chicken: this pesto marinated chicken is great in this recipe. 

Make-Ahead: this recipe includes the time needed for cooking the rice; however, you can get ahead of the game if you make the rice before you need it, and store it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad. The dressing can also be made ahead of time (several days!). 

Seasoning: if all you have is seasoned rice vinegar, I'd omit the salt and sugar and then add those ingredients to taste, if needed, at the end.