Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Apple Dressing
Yield: Spinach Salad: 6 servings. Bacon Apple Dressing: About 1 3/4 cups.
Cook Time: About 20 minutes
Tips: If desired. 1/4 cup of any type of fruit brandy may be used in place of 1/4 cup of the apple cider. Other fruit juices may be used in place of the apple cider, such as cranberry juice or cranberry juice mixed with other fruit juice (such as raspberry, apple, pomegrante or grape), strawberry, cherry, etc.
Suggestion: Delicious served as a side or main course, along with a side of bread.
Healthy spinach salad recipes can be prepared in so many wonderful ways with so many healthy, colorful and delicious ingredients. Any spinach salad recipe can be made using a either a bunch of fresh spinach or a bag or plastic container of baby spinach leaves - or a combination of both. Baby spinach leaves produce beautiful spinach salads, because the leaves are young and petite, are rarely wilted, and usually have very few markings, if any. While baby spinach leaves do add an element of elegance to spinach salads, the larger spinach leaves that come in bunches have their own redeeming qualities as well, featuring plump leaves with deep dark green color, while usually costing a little less than baby spinach leaves. Bunches of spinach also commonly contain a combination of large, medium and small leaves.
This healthy spinach salad recipe features fresh spinach leaves
(regular spinach by the bunch or baby spinach leaves), thinly sliced sweet red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, chopped hard-cooked eggs and toasted pine nuts. These fresh salad ingredients are tossed with a mildly sweet and tangy warm spinach salad dressing that combines the flavors and textures of bacon, apple, onion, garlic, red wine vinegar and apple cider (or a combination of apple cider and fruit-flavored brandy, if you're feeling adventurous!). Cooked, diced bacon is sautéed with diced onions and sliced apples, along with some crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. A small amount of corn starch is used to thicken the dressing, and these tasty tenderized ingredients with the tangy fruity sauce is tossed with the fresh salad ingredients and served immediately.
Toasting the pine nuts is quick and super easy. Simply place the pine nuts on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 350° F oven, and remove as soon as the nuts begin to turn golden brown (this happens very quickly (possibly even less than 5 minutes), so be sure to stay close to the oven!
If once cooked, your salad dressing seems a bit dry for your taste, simply stir in 1 or 2 more tablespoons of apple cider (or more, if needed) to the ingredients in the skillet.
This healthy spinach salad recipe features fresh spinach leaves
Toasting the pine nuts is quick and super easy. Simply place the pine nuts on a baking sheet in a pre-heated 350° F oven, and remove as soon as the nuts begin to turn golden brown (this happens very quickly (possibly even less than 5 minutes), so be sure to stay close to the oven!
If once cooked, your salad dressing seems a bit dry for your taste, simply stir in 1 or 2 more tablespoons of apple cider (or more, if needed) to the ingredients in the skillet.
Recipe▼
Ingredients
- Spinach Salad
- 2 1/2 lbs. fresh spinach leaves
- 2 small sweet red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
- 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
- 1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- Hot Bacon and Brandy Dressing (recipe follows)
- Hot Bacon Apple Dressing
- 1/4 lb. bacon, diced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider (or 1/4 cup apple cider and 1/4 cup fruit brandy)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- salt and pepper
Directions
Spinach Salad
To toast pine nuts: Place pine nuts on a baking sheet and bake in a 350° F oven for about 5 minutes or until golden. Set aside while preparing rest of salad.
Remove the stems from the spinach. Rinse spinach under running water, then pat dry between paper towels (alternatively, a salad spinner may be used). Combine spinach, red pepper strips, mushrooms, eggs and pine nuts in a large bowl. Add hot dressing to taste and toss to coat mixture lightly.
Hot Bacon Apple Dressing
Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain off fat. Add onion and apple slices to the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender. Stir in the red wine vinegar (and brandy, if using) and heat until mixture begins to simmer. Dissolve the cornstarch in the apple cider and add to the skillet, stirring until mixture thickens slightly. add garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat but keep warm.
