Substitutions
- There needs to be a fruit, but if you don’t like strawberries you can substitute with apple, pear, mandarin oranges, berries, etc
- Tastes best with a nut, so sliced almonds can be pecans, sugared pecans, walnuts, pistachios
- This recipe is meatless other than the bacon. To add some more protein you can include some shrimp, chicken, tenderloin, flank steak, or salmon
- If you want it less fruity, try using mushrooms and cherry tomatoes versus the grapes and craisins
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
When you order this in a restaurant, it is a rarity that it is full of goodness with a homemade warm bacon dressing. So basically, I only eat my own. There are plenty of substitutions in terms of preference, but this one tends to be my go-to!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 6-8 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 1 egg yolk
- 8-12 oz bacon (chopped (cut when partially frozen for easiest method))
- ½ c almonds (sliced (more to taste))
- ½ c craisins (more to taste)
- ½ c green onions (sliced)
- ½ c purple grapes (sliced)
- ¼ c balsamic vinegar (light or dark depending on taste)
- 2 -3 T good seedless berry jam
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Salad
- Add spinach, almonds, craisins, green onions, and grapes in a large bowl, then set aside.
Dressing
- Cook bacon until crisp but not crunchy.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve the bacon fat in a skillet.
- Add purple onion to the bacon fat. Cook until softened.
- Once softened, turn on to LOW heat.
- Add vinegar and stir with a whisk.
- Add jam. Stir with whisk. TASTE
- If vinegar tasting, add more jam, if too sweet or oily add more vinegar.
- Pepper to taste. Salt IF needed.
- Remove from heat.
- Add egg yolk and whisk strongly. This will emulsify the dressing.
- Pour onto veggies and fruit and toss lightly.
- Note: You may not need all the dressing. A little goes a long way, so add ¾ of dressing at first, toss, then add the rest if needed.
- ENJOY!