Winter Salad: Spinach with Blue Cheese Dressing

The view from my window is white....it's blizzard time here in New Hampshire.  Not to worry as an old time favorite... made from ingredients almost always on hand in the refrigerator... makes for an easy, delicious winter salad that will add some colorful green to an all-white world!

Today's lunch or dinner salad:  Spinach and Red Onion with a creamy Blue Cheese dressing.  Bacon optional (but so tasty).  And if you'd like, add some quarters of a hard-boiled egg or two for more protein.

There's a reason why these handful of ingredients are found in so many recipes, singly and together.  Classic combinations can so easily be updated or modified to take advantage of what's in season...or what's in the fridge.  No spinach? Romaine will do just fine. No eggs?  A slice or two of fresh orange or a topping of canned tuna will dress up and round out the salad instead.

Ingredients for two hearty salads:

• 4 cups spinach (about 5 oz) spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs (optional), cut into quarters
• 6 slices crisp bacon, crumbled (optional)
• Croutons (optional)

Creamy blue cheese dressing

• 1/8 cup good quality olive oil
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar (or substitute a white or red wine vinegar)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or a mix of mayo and sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 2 ounces blue cheese

Chop the spinach and top with the sliced red onion, quarters of hard-boiled eggs, and crumbled bacon.  Toss with the blue cheese dressing and finish off with a handful of croutons. 

Easy croutons

Preheat broiler. Cube 2 cups stale (or fresh) bread.  Toss in a bowl with 1 T olive oil and 1 T melted butter and 1 clove of finely chopped garlic (optional).  Transfer bread cubes to a foil lined baking pan and broil until lightly toasted, stirring as needed to brown all sides.  Cool.  Store in an airtight container or plastic bag (if you have any leftovers!).

Chopped garlic tends to burn, so if you like, try slicing the garlic and heating in the oil ahead of time.  Once the garlic begins to brown (you will smell that lovely aroma), remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, and toss the bread cubes with the garlic oil.