March 28, 2024

Spinach Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

Spinach Salad with Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

This recipe, Spinach Salad with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette, came from one of those happy accidents we all sometimes have.  Serendipity!  (Does anyone remember those books?) I was in the middle of  making a Caesar salad for dinner one night, and realized I was out of both eggs and anchovy paste!  I had half of a vinaigrette made, so I looked in the refrigerator for something to make it pop, worthy of a dinner salad.  There—far, far back on the shelf—was a nearly empty jar of sun-dried tomatoes.  Hmmm….

I put the ingredients for the dressing I’d already mixed in my food processor and emptied the jar of sun-dried tomatoes right in on top. I had about 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes and almost a quarter cup of sun-dried tomato-flavored oil. Whiz, whiz!!  And taste – amazing!  Tart and tangy but it needed something a little creamy and fatty to offset it.  Aha!  Avocado and goat cheese!  Now, if you don’t have fresh herbs, just use small pinches of dried…or skip it, no biggie.  Dinner is done!  Et tu Caesar?  Who needs ya?!

Spinach Salad With Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves (I use the flowers from my plants, too)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • splash of balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus as much of the oil as you can get out of the jar
  • olive oil
  • 1 bag of baby spinach leaves (wash again, no matter what the bag says!)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Directions:

  1. In your food processor, buzz together the mustard, garlic, herbs, and vinegars to combine.  Make sure the garlic and herbs are well broken down.
  2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes along with as much oil as you can get out of the jar; and salt and pepper.  Combine again.  Check the consistency and add olive oil if you’d like to thin out the dressing.
  3. Assemble the salad – a big bed of spinach, with bell pepper, sliced avocado, goat cheese, and cherry tomatoes on top.  Apply dressing liberally!

To make it a meal, you can add black olives and leftover cooked chicken (come to think of it, grilled shrimp might be good on this too!)  Serve with crusty bread and a white or rosé wine.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Asparagus Pasta Bake

Have you noticed?  In the produce department, we are starting to see the return of the spring vegetables!  Hip-hip-hooray!  Oh, don’t get me wrong…I love winter veggies, too!  If you have followed the Monday installment of the At Home w/ GCH blog for any length of time, you KNOW we are big fans of butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and other winter veggies.  But, it’s almost spring!  So here we go! For the next few weeks, we will do a mini-series featuring spring vegetables… starting today with asparagus!  Oh, yum!  Today’s recipe features asparagus in a pasta bake.  This recipe could also be prepared using lasagna noodles, if you prefer.

A question and a tip for our gluten-free friends: Have you tried the new pasta that RONZONI has recently brought to the market?  It is fantastic!  Truly the best gluten-free pasta we have tried (and we have tried m-a-n-y different brands).  It is a multi-grain blend of white rice, brown rice, corn, and quinoa.  It cooks up well, holds sauce well, bakes well, even reheats fairly well!  Now it is still pasta so, of course, it has carbs!  But a serving, according to the facts label on the box, has 2g of fiber (8% DV) and 4g of protein even. I highly recommend this product.

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Asparagus Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) box gluten free penne pasta2014-02-23 20.50.20
1 (15 ounce) jar alfredo sauce (I use ‘Classico’ brand; has no additives)
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup baby spinach, packed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional 1/2 cup
1 medium onion, diced
1# asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (I use jarred)
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) container part skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

  • Pasta:  Cook pasta following directions on box. Drain and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Heat the Alfredo sauce and the chicken broth together. Set aside.
  • In a food processor combine the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and baby spinach. Pulse until the mixture is combined.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the egg and then add in the ricotta, dried basil, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and freshly ground pepper.  Stir well; then add in the sun-dried tomato mixture.  Set aside.
  • In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and cook 4-5 minutes.
  • Add in the cut up asparagus and cook ‘til still crisp-tender, another 5 minutes or so.
  • And finally add in the chopped garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Turn heat off.
  • In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, ladle about 1/2 cup of the heated alfredo sauce onto the bottom; spread to cover. Place 1/3 of the cooked pasta, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1/3 of the cooked veggies, and a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella. Repeat this in order for 2 additional layers.
  • Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the ingredients are just starting to bubble and the cheeses are melting, about 25 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bump heat up to 425 and heat for 5 more minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes; then serve with additional sauce and shredded parmesan alongside.  Enjoy!

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God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen