Baby spinach salads?

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Pearsquared
Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I bought way too much baby spinach for my sandwiches, so I'd like to make a salad out of the rest. It would be for a dinner, so it can be fairly substantial.

What kind of stuffs would you recommend I add to my spinach? Dressing included - I don't have any dressing right now, so what would you recommend? I can make one if you have a recipe you love.

Replies

  • Tuala42
    Tuala42 Posts: 274 Member
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    My favorite--Annie's raspberry vinaigrette, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh berries--strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries
  • kiku76
    kiku76 Posts: 352 Member
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    my lunch today was baby spinach (chopped up), cooked quinoa, red onions, olives, avocado, corn and chicken breast. tossed it all together with a tbs of yellow mustard, tbs of lemon juice and half tbs of agave.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
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    Our dinner tonight was spinach salad with light Salsa Ranch dressing (Litehouse), topped with roast chicken (had a couple of split breasts in the freezer--thawed and roasted them earlier in the day, but you could use rotisserie chicken or grill some if you have it on hand), shredded cheese, cherry tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips, and crispy red peppers (both of the latter sold as salad toppings in the produce department).

    Very yummy. Even my teenage son ate every bite--he still doesn't even realize that was spinach and not lettuce. We had some mini-croissants from the grocery store bakery along with it, but it was pretty substantial even without adding bread.
  • msurads06
    msurads06 Posts: 66 Member
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    I actually tend to prefer spinach salads to lettuce salads or I will blend the two. I like a little something crunchy (croutons, nuts, seeds, etc). Then I will throw in what ever veggies I happen to have on hand (tomatoes, cucumbers, snow/sugar snap peas, carrots, etc) or sometimes just eat the greens. You can also add fruit (berries, raisins, orange slices, etc). I usually add a small amount of some form of cheese to my salad. If the salad is going to be a meal I may add a hardboiled egg or some shredded chicken. I also have a herb garden so I will usually snip some fresh herbs. A quick and easy home made dressing is a little olive oil, some balsamic vinegar (or redwine or cider vinegar), salt and pepper. I don't really have measurements since I typically only mix what I will use for that meal and sometimes I just use the balsamic vinegar with no oil. I really like raspberry vinaigrette and Italian dressings, (usually light versions).

    Really a salad can be anything you want, as long as it tastes good for you the possibilities are endless.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    I add shrimp, tomato, avocado and Ken's Northern Italian Dressing. YUMMY
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
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    2-3 cups baby spinach
    about 4oz of grilled or baked chicken breast meat chopped
    2 medium celery stalks chopped
    chopped gala apple
    1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
    1/2 squeezed lemon
    cracked black pepper
    1tbsp parmesan cheese
  • RumpusP
    RumpusP Posts: 163 Member
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    In addition to what others have said, and forgive me if I missed it, but cherry tomatoes are really yummy in a salad.
  • mlg1712
    mlg1712 Posts: 14
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    This is one of my favourite recipes, Pumpkin, feta & pine nut salad

    150g Butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
    3 cloves of garlic, left in skin
    oil spray
    salt & pepper
    2 tsp balsamic vinegar
    2 tsp olive oil
    1 tsp Natvia
    ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
    100g baby spinach
    ¼ avocado
    30g feta
    1 tbs pine nuts

    Preheat oven to 200°C.
    Place pumpkin and garlic on a baking paper lined oven tray.
    Spray with oil and season with salt & pepper and roast for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
    Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, oil and Natvia and add onion and set aside whilst pumpkin cooks.
    Toss spinach leaves with dressing, top with pumpkin, avocado, feta and pinenuts.

    Recipe serves 2 & is from weighitup.com.au
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    These are different salads I make with spinach:

    italian dressing and real bacon bits.
    italian dressing and crab meat.
    avocado, crab, carrots, italian dressing.
    mandarin oranges, raspberries, lemon slice.
  • RM10003
    RM10003 Posts: 316 Member
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    Not a salad--but you can just sauté it down with a little bit of olive oil and a lot of garlic. That's what we do when we have extra baby spinach in the house. It is ridiculous how much it cooks down, but that's good because it gets it out of the fridge faster....
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I love spinach salads...

    I do grilled chicken breast, fresh strawberries, some crushed walnuts and then use the kens lite raspberry walnut dressing. If I have enough calories left I will add a little fresh bacon just to add the salty sweet combo.
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
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    Spinach, strawberry and brie salad with poppy seed dressing. My favourite salad ever :).

    http://www.thedailymorsel.com/2011/05/spinach-strawberry-and-brie-salad-with-poppy-seed-dressing/
    (leave out the basil)
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,496 Member
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    Not exactly what you requested, but when I have extra spinach that's about to go bad, I just blend it up with a little water and freeze it in to "smoothie cubes" I can pop in my protein shakes for an undetectable extra serving of leafy greens.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
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    I love it with dried cranberries and almonds, and a homemade honey mustard vinagrette (mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil). Nom!
  • Monny287
    Monny287 Posts: 109
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    I take a spinach salad with me to work every day! :) It's a nice way to get in a couple servings of vegetables. I use regular spinach and add whatever veggies I have in my fridge. Recently, this has been cucumbers and carrots. Then I add Ceasar dressing and go!

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