Going for the alliteration? Not sure where the name of this salad came from, but it’s clearly from another era. And it’s been around in my family for that long, because it’s that good. My mom makes it often for holiday meals (it’s great for Passover) and for guests, but it’s easy and delicious enough to be an every day thing. Rich, bright flavors burst through, meaning that serving with a slice of a nice crusty hearty bread makes it good enough for a complete meal all on it’s own. This time around I also added some blistered beans, adding some extra protein to flesh it out, and they blended in perfectly with the toasted nuts. With an easy apricot vinaigrette, if you’re craving greens as desperately as I am to counteract all the sugar of the holidays, here’s a quick easy way to demolish a whole bag of spinach! This salad even converted a salad skeptic into someone who asked for seconds. :)
Bright greens make for a salad to devour
“Sassy Spinach Salad”
originally published by Elle Barrett, but I have no idea where our photocopied recipe is from :-/
1 C boiling water
1 6 ounce package dried apricots, cut in half
1 lb fresh spinach or 1 10 ounce package
3 T apple cider vinegar
3 T apricot preserves
1/2 C vegetable oil
3/4 C coarsely chopped walnuts (original recipe called for macadamia – feel free to experiment with others as well)
1. Pour boiling water over cut apricots; let stand for half an hour.
2. Drain well; set aside.
3. Tear spinach into bite-sized pieces and add to large salad bowl.
4. Combine vinegar and preserves in container of an electric blender. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Add oil and blend again.
5. Add half of apricots, half of nuts, and dressing to spinach, and toss gently. Sprinkle with remaining apricots and nuts. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!!
Pretty :)
