Spinach Penne Salad

I'm super behind adding recipes to my blog. Mostly because I'm not OCD'ing about cooking and sharing those recipes with you.

Every now and then I cook.  Several months ago I made this for some gathering, or maybe it was just my brother coming over. Either way it was delicious AND low-cal.  The recipe says it's just 327 calories for 1.5 cups of salad - which isn't a lot of salad, but just enough for a side dish. I served this with grilled chicken breasts along the side.

Spinach Penne Salad
Recipe from Taste of Home
Serves 10

Photo by Taste of Home

Dressing:

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 c white wine vinegar

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 T Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

 

Mix all together. Set aside.

Salad:

1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3/4 c (6 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 c sliced ripe or Greek olives

 

Cook pasta according to package. Drain, rinse under cold water. Add to all the ingredients for salad, dress with dressing prior to serving.

 

Apple, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad

Since I've been on this eating healthier kick, I've not had much opportunity to try new recipes.  But every now and then I go to a friend's house for dinner and just like that I have an excuse to make something new.

You all, I'm sure, know I'm a big fan of the Pioneer Woman.  Well, on a recent episode she made this salad and I knew I had to make it.

Delicious.  I didn't have any maple syrup and so substituted brown sugar. I'm sure that changed the flavor profile, so next time I make it I'll buy the syrup.

Make this salad. You won't be disappointed.

Apple, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman
Serves 8

Photo by Pioneer Woman

12 ounces, weight salad greens (spring Mix)
2 whole apples, cored and sliced very thin
1/2 c pecan halves
1/4 c dried cherries
6 ounces, weight blue cheese, cut Iito chunks
1 T (heaping) Dijon mustard
1 T maple syrup (more To Taste)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (more To Taste)
1/4 c olive oil
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Add greens, apple slices, pecan halves, dried cherries, and blue cheese chunks into a large salad bowl.

 

In a small jar, mix Dijon, maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well to mix.

 

Pour a little salad dressing over the top of the salad and toss to combine. Taste salad and add more salad dressing to taste.

7-Layer Salad Dip

I know this poor blog isn't getting as much attention as it once did, but it will, I promise.  I do plan on getting back to cooking very soon.

In the meantime, here's a recipe I made this weekend for a wine tasting fundraiser my sister-in-law had.  I stumbled onto this recipe from Tasty Kitchen in search of something to make.  It was outstanding.  Really the belle of the ball. 

The only substitution I made was I used Canola oil mayo instead of regular mayo. And truth be told, you could fore go the mayo all together.  The dip was a bit too loose for me, especially for a dip that's supposed to be a mold.  Next time, I'll 86 the mayo and just use cream cheese.

Oh that's another sub I made, I used low-fat cream cheese. I don't really think you can tell the difference in recipes like this.

7-Layer Salad Dip

Courtesy of Tasty Kitchen

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Makes 15 servings

6 strips bacon
3 whole plum tomatoes, diced (I cleaned out the insides of the tomatoes so it wouldn't be so juicy.)
4 whole green onions, sliced
16 ounces, weight cream cheese, softened (I used fat free.)
1-½ cup frozen peas, thawed (oh crap. I totally didn't add these in. Oops)
4 ounces, weight shredded colby-jack cheese
¼ c mayonnaise (I used Canola mayo, but would not use this in the next version.)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp coarse black pepper
1 loaf whole wheat french bread (I actually used wheat thins instead of bread.)
olive oil, for brushing on your bread Slices
garlic powder, to taste, to sprinkle on the bread

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy then remove it from the pan. When it’s cool, chop bacon. Reserve 3 tablespoons.

Cut up veggies, set aside.

Soften cream cheese by putting it into a bowl and letting it come to room temperature. Then stir in peas, cheese, green onions, mayo, garlic, salt and black pepper.

Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. Place 3 tablespoons of bacon pieces in the bottom. Spread 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the bottom, then top that with 1/2 the tomatoes and 1/2 the remaining bacon. Repeat layers, ending with a final layer of cream cheese. Press the mixture down into the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.

Cut your whole wheat French bread loaf into 1/4-inch slices, brush each slice with olive oil and season with garlic powder. Put the slices on a baking tray. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes or until toasted.

When ready to serve, invert the bowl onto a platter. Remove plastic and place toasted bread around your amazing dip!