Rainbow Spinach Salad                                                                                      Serves 10

Courtesy of Rebecca Woodland

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes

Festive colors and flavors highlight this non-traditional spinach salad. Feel free to experiment with different added-in ingredients, or with different pairings of olive oils and vinegars.

For SALAD:

1 lb. box organic baby spinach

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (Bacon flavor for holidays, Milanese Gremolata for spring and summer salads)

½ small purple onion, slivered (about ¾ cup)

4 or 5 mini-bell peppers, seeded and slivered (use red, yellow, orange)

Up to 1 cup sliced almonds., toasted (or use walnuts or pecans, raw)

Sea salt

For DRESSING:

¼ cup Bacon flavor olive oil

2 Tbsp.  Sherry Vinegar OR Red Apple Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. coconut palm sugar (may substitute brown sugar)

Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Toast sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully so they don’t burn! Remove almonds from skillet and set them aside.
2. Slice bell peppers and onion into slivers about 1½”-2” long.
3. Warm Bacon olive oil in the skillet. Add onion and peppers in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Stir-fry for about a minute, until onion is almost translucent but still holds its color.
5. Pour entire box of spinach into a large bowl.
6. Pour entire contents of skillet (including the oil) over the spinach. Toss gently with gloved hands.
7. Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar with a tight lid. Shake vigorously to emulsify ingredients.
8. Pour dressing over salad. Add some of the almonds. Toss again. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
9. Top with freshly-cracked pepper and remaining nuts. Enjoy!

Variations:

Add thinly-sliced crisp apple or Asian pear, feta crumbles, kalamata olives, dried cranberries, pomegranate arils, crisp bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs slices, or whatever you like. Experiment with different oil/vinegar pairings, but please use only one kind of oil and one kind of vinegar in each jar of dressing.