Monday's Menu

You may have guessed that I am not a salad person by now. It's not that I don't like salads nor do I have a problem with making them. I just don't usually have them much.

The main reason is that, generally speaking, they are cold. When I eat something, even in the summertime, I am usually looking for something hot. Cold stuff may come along and enjoy the ride but the main dish is gonna be hot. So salads don't really fit the bill there.

Another big one is that there have never been a lot of salad eaters in our house. That has begun to change as Chick, especially, and Dude have gotten older. But even Hubby, who has no problem ordering one for himself at a lunch with his co-workers, considers a salad to be, for the most part, a side dish.

And to be honest, Hubby's idea of a dinner salad means it has grilled chicken strips and sliced fresh mushrooms in it. Anything wilder than that he tends to look at suspiciously (unless its in a restaurant where he will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they know what they're doing).

So salads have a tough row to how, so to speak, in our household. On the flip side, that means that the three salad recipes I have are fist-pumping good... but they had to earn their place there. However....

The other night I had a wonderful salad! One that I could have happily returned my soup and dessert to get more of. One that I could have enjoyed a very large portion of -- like the whole bowl. It was really quite good.

And the lady who made is an angel because she gave out the recipe when asked for it.

Well, I'm not one to be greedy. It has to be shared. It's too good not to. So look. Now I have four salad recipes.

Lana's Spinach Salad with Orange-Curry Dressing

Dressing:

½ c. cider vinegar

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp dry mustard

¾ c. olive oil

1 heaping Tbsp orange marmalade

¼ c. sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp Tabasco

½ tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients except oil in blender. Add oil in a fine stream, processing constantly at high speed until thickened. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours, then chill until serving time. Note: I combine all ingredients and use an immersible blender – this is faster!

Salad:

1 large bag or container of baby spinach or other favorite salad mix

3 apples, chopped

1 c. golden raisins

¾ c. walnut halves (pecans are good too)

3 green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

½ lb bacon, fried and crumbled

To toast sesame seeds, place in dry skillet and heat over medium-low heat, shaking occasionally until they are starting to turn golden brown. Layer salad ingredients in large bowl and toss gently. Top with dressing and serve immediately. Serves at least 6-8.