Asparagus Mushroom Pasta

Pasta makes a lot of appearances in the Centner house. It’s so versatile; it can be fancied up for a gourmet meal or be something simple and comforting.   It’s easy to make a lot at once and it saves for leftovers.  Plus, it comes in fun shapes which is a selling point in itself.

I’ve been looking for some easy meals lately and realized I’d never shared this one on the blog.  This pasta dish is one of my favorites and something that’s evolved over time.  I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do!

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

¼ c. chopped sundried tomatoes

2-3 c. baby bella mushrooms, sliced

16 oz. bowtie pasta

1 pkg. Boursin cheese (I prefer the chive flavor)

3 Tb. butter

Olive oil

Turn the oven to 350 degrees while you chop the vegetables.  Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil.  Add salt and pepper as desired.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly roasted.  Set aside.

In the meantime put a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Heat up some olive oil in a skillet.  Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are dark brown and cooked throughout, about 8 minutes.  Set aside.

Once the pot of water is boiling, prepare the pasta as directed to al dente.  Save 1 c. of pasta water before draining pasta. 

Set the pasta aside and in the same pot, combine butter, Boursin cheese, and reserved water.  Heat on medium until cheese and butter are melted.  Add in the cooked pasta, asparagus, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, and mix well, ensuring all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Baked Wings

This weekend I finally found of the energy I’d been missing.  The house is cleaner than it’s been in months and a clean house just makes me so happy.  After being so productive Saturday, we had time to just relax and do some fun stuff.  We spent some time on Sunday looking at paint colors and chairs for the nursery and it’s sooooo exciting!  We found out last week though a blood test (was it just last week?) that we’re having a girl and I couldn’t be happier!  I’m super anxious to get the walls painted, the floor laid, and start decorating for this little girl!

I’m getting back to my normal eating habits with the exception of the ice cream that’s continuing in my otherwise sugar-free lifestyle.  Sunday evening Mr. C made this chicken while I whipped up a salad and some sautéed corn with jalapenos.

I usually ask Mr. C if he has any meal requests when I sit down to meal plan for the week, and this chicken and my Chipotle Avocado BLTS seem to come up every single week.  My aunt introduced us to this simple recipe and since then it’s been a regular in our meal rotation.  These chicken wings are one of the easiest things to make and the hardest part is waiting the hour for them to bake.  The best part is that while the skin probably isn’t the healthiest thing, it’s a heck of a lot better than it’s usual fried form.  Add some corn on the cob, a salad, and you’ve got yourself a great meal.

When you buy the chicken, make sure you’re buying wingettes instead of wings.  The wings have multiple parts and you can use them but you have to cut them apart.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the type of person who is okay touching raw chicken longer than necessary.

Here’s the super simple recipe:

Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Spread chicken wingettes out on the tray.  Season with salt and pepper on both sides.  We like a lot of pepper on ours.

Bake for one hour or until brown and crispy.

That’s it!  Easy peasy!

My Breakup With Sugar

For the past couple of months Mr. C and I have been avoiding all added sugars and refined grains.  We both had done some research about going sugar free, were concerned with the large amount of sugar in the typical American diet, and we were excited to try living sugar free as an experiment. 

The beginning wasn’t easy but it wasn’t a horrible as I thought it would be.  The hardest part was learning where added sugar/sweeteners were lurking.   We both went through sugar withdrawal symptoms.  The worst were the headaches that hit us every single morning for over a week and the fatigue that made me want to sleep as soon as I got home.  This quickly subsided though and after that we’d instead be hit each week with new benefits.  Over the past couple years we’ve strayed away from eating too many processed foods and we were choosing better grains such as sprouted bread over regular wheat.  That was so helpful because we were just adding onto the changes we’d already made. 

Over the past couple of months we’ve seen so many benefits from our choices.  We’re sleeping better and less moody.  I don’t experience that mid-afternoon slump I’d experienced so often.  We’ve seen a slight improvement in our skin.  We’ve both lost inches and pounds although that was never our reason for doing this.  We’ve tried new foods and unrefined grains I’ve never heard of and our cravings for refined sweets have mostly disappeared.  We can both turn down a doughnut or a slice of cake without thinking about it too much; the truth is that it doesn’t even sound good anymore.

In this process we’ve discovered new recipes we love and continued with some we’ve been making for quite awhile.  Below are a few of my favorite snack things to eat since we’ve made the changes.

• Sprouted whole grain bread with mashed avocado and a sprinkle of salt and pepper
•  Roasted, unsalted nuts, especially cashews.
• The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar from Trader Joe’s.
• Iced Blushberry Black Tazo Tea
• Air popped popcorn with a bit of butter and salt.  You may think that popcorn is popcorn, but we recently bought organic white popcorn from Sprouts and it’s the best popcorn I’ve ever had.  It’s super light and fluffy. 

Going added sugar and refined grain free probably isn’t for everyone but I’m so happy that we committed.  We decided to join an online class we’d read rave reviews about and I’m so glad we did; it provided us with a community of supporters, access to hundreds of recipes (my favorite part!), and a daily lesson that was invaluable.  I struggled with the idea of paying for the course in the beginning, but after I had signed up for the course I got an email that compared the price of the course to other typical things people spend money on and that really stuck with me.  Looking back now, I have no regrets and it was money well spent to not have to dedicate my own time to finding recipes and researching everything that was shared during the course.  Throughout the course there are check-ins and Jacqueline herself responded to each and every single one.   If you’re interested yourself, I’d love to talk to you – just reach out to me – or you can find more info online here. 

Portabella Pizza Caps

This summer has been flying by!  I’m not a summer fan but this one has actually been my favorite so far.  We’ve spent lots of time with family and even had a couple of friends visit.  I’ve been cooking lots of new recipes this summer and these mushroom pizzas have made quite a few appearances.  They’re so easy to throw together, don’t require time slaving over the stove, and they’re full of fresh veggies! 

This barely even requires a recipe but here you go.

1-1.5 large portabella mushrooms per person

1 Tb. pizza sauce per mushroom

Pizza toppings – I use chopped pepperoni, red onions, bell pepper, green and black olives, and banana peppers.

Shredded Cheese – I gravitate towards a combo of a smoked cheese and mozzarella

Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a cooking sheet or casserole dish.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and scrape out the dark gills using a spoon or melon baller (you could keep the stems and gills for future use in soups).

Spread about 1 Tb. of sauce in each mushroom.  Add desired toppings and cheese.  Top with a few sprinkles of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Easy Roasted Asparagus

Lately my weekends fly by and on Monday morning when someone asks me what I did with my weekend I really have no idea and think, “did I really watch Friends all day Sunday?”  This weekend was a refreshing opposite, although I still may have watched a few Friends episodes….  We went for a hike, took care of the leaves outside (isn’t that what everyone is doing in January?), I did some cleaning and organizing around the house that was long overdue, finished a book, worked on tax stuff (bonus points for that!) and still had some time to relax as well.   We topped off our productive weekend with some homemade soup Sunday night and one of my now favorite sides, roasted asparagus. 

I was a bit of a picky eater at my house when I was younger.  Cooked spinach and asparagus were on the top of the icky list, but the worst nights were steak nights.  I would cut the steak into little pieces and when my parents weren’t looking I’d throw it under our big wooden kitchen table.  We had a dog, however he was not allowed in that part of the house so unfortunately my habit was discovered.  For awhile I think my mom just thought I was a messy eater.  Eventually I tried swallowing a huge piece of steak whole so I wouldn’t have to chew it and ended up choking.  My aunt gave me the Heimlich and I was never forced to eat steak again.  Score for me!  Unfortunately there were still other foods around that were just plain gross and the spinach and asparagus remained in this category for quite awhile.

I’m still not a fan of cooked spinach but the raw stuff is a permanent staple in our house and I now have a special place in my heart for asparagus.  I prefer my veggies with a bit of crunch and lots of flavor, so roasting is right up my alley.

This is the easiest side dish ever.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.  You can skip that step, but it makes cleanup SO much easier.  Snap the hard ends off the asparagus and throw them away.  Lay the asparagus out flat on the baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil (don’t get carried away) and top with salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the tips start browning.  Usually I serve it up just like that but if you want to be fancy you can top with some shredded parmesan cheese.

Yummy Fruit Smoothies

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  Regular weekends are great but they’re always gone so quickly and I find myself wondering when I had time to relax and have some fun.  Three day weekends on the other hand, are magical, and by the time I go back to work I feel like I’ve actually had some relaxing time off.  I definitely felt that way this weekend, although that could have something to do with the fact that I didn’t do anything productive for the later part of the weekend and focused instead on completing an X-Men movie marathon so I could get caught up to see the next one in theatres later this week.  Important stuff, people! 

One productive thing I always do on summer weekends is smoothie prep for the week.  For the past few years, Mr. C and I have these smoothies every single weekday morning in the summer.  If you’re looking for a light, refreshing smoothie packed with fresh fruit, then look no further.  It’s pretty basic and I’ve been asked why I don’t throw in some kale/spinach/(insert something healthy/ something very unhealthy here), and the answer is that I love it just the way it is, although I do alternate between the mangos and peaches as the sales change.  I also throw in blackberries sometimes but I feel like they get moldy quickly so I don’t use them often or add them right before blending.

Fruit Smoothies

-makes 10 servings (2/day for the week)

1 pineapple, cubed

1 large or 2 small clamshell strawberries

1 large or 2 small clamshell raspberries

2-3 Mangos

AND/OR

2-3 Peaches

5 bananas

Greek yogurt (I use peach honey or raspberry flavored typically), ¼-1/2 c. per smoothie

Orange juice, ¼-1/2 c. per smoothie

***There’s really no measuring going on here typically…..the Greek yogurt is a big spoonful, and the orange juice is a big splash, but I tried my best to measure the “spoonful” and “splash”.

I wash, chop, and divide the fresh fruit (minus the banana) into 5 containers on the weekend and have never had an issue with the fruit going bad.  I would suggest layering with the pineapple on the bottom, berries in the middle, and mango/peaches on top.  In the mornings, Mr. C. dumps the containers into the blender, adds a banana, orange juice, the Greek yogurt, and blends.  The whole process takes less than 2 minutes in the morning, and I wake up to a fresh fruit smoothie before work everyday.   If you don’t have a Mr.C, then you may not be able to wake up to the smoothie already made, but I promise it’s worth the extra 2 minutes in the morning!

Buffalo Chicken Rollups

I’ve never been a superbowl fan, but this time of year I am tempted to throw a party just so I can make all of the delicious superbowl recipes that are floating around the interwebs.  Usually these include appetizers and desserts I would not make regularly because they all look like they contain about a thousand calories per serving.   If you happen to be looking for something amazing for your superbowl spread, but not laded with calories, then look no farther.  These also make an amazing dinner.

Buffalo Chicken Rollups

Slightly adapted from: canyoustayfordinner

Printable Recipe available here

Rollup Ingredients

12 egg roll wrappers

1 ½ - 2  c. cooked, shredded chicken

Crumbled blue cheese

Broccoli slaw

½ - 1 c. Frank’s buffalo sauce

Small bowl of cool water

Dipping sauce

1/3 c. light sour cream

1/3 c. light mayo

1 TB blue cheese

Pepper

Mix the buffalo sauce into the shredded chicken, beginning with ½ c. buffalo sauce and adding more as necessary until the chicken is well coated in sauce.  I just eyeball this usually.

You can do the rollups as you go but I think it’s much easier to lay all the wrappers out and make them assembly line style. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a baking sheet with pan.

Spoon an equal amount of buffalo chicken into one of the diagonal corners of the wrappers (about 2 Tb).  Place some broccoli slaw on top (about 1 Tb), and sprinkle on some blue cheese.

To roll: Take the bottom of the diagonal corner you piled the buffalo mixture in and fold this over the mixture so you have the beginnings of a burrito.  Fold in the left and right corners in like an envelope.  Roll this upward, folding in the remaining corners as needed.  If you’ve been to Chipotle just pretend you’re rolling like those experts, but with a mini version.  Finally, dip your finger in the water and run this along the crease, sealing the rollup.

Place all rollups on the baking sheet, sealed side down.  Lightly spray rolls with pam, and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until rolls begin to crisp and brown.

Chocolate Chow Mein Clusters

Happy December!  I feel like I blinked and the last month flew by!  The week before thanksgiving I was able to experience food poisoning which ended up being E. coli.  I never understood why all these people ended up hospitalized during E. coli outbreaks but now I totally do.  It’s not fun and I hope it’s my one and only experience.  Then just as life was starting to return to normal I got hit with a cold that turned into a sinus infection.  First one in 2 years, it must have decided it would kick me when I was down.  I’m was back to normal  just in time for all the holiday festivities, but then life got a bit crazy for awhile so I'm finally checking in.  I've been working hard on some Christmas gifts and counting down the days until Mr. C’s responsibilities die down so we can watch some cheesy Christmas movies in front of the fireplace (yes, we totally use our fireplace in AZ).

I was going to give you a healthy recipe today because with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it’s the time of year that we tend to eat out more or munch on all those holiday goodies.  I was going to give you a healthy recipe, but I have an easy dessert item that you can add to your holiday baking and I decided that won out over a soup with lots of veggies.  Chocolate always beats veggies, right?

This is about the easiest thing ever.  I have no idea where I got the recipe: I say it’s from my mom but my mom calls it mine, so clearly one of us is confused (I think it’s her….)

Chocolate Chow Mein Clusters

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

1 c. hard chow mein noodles

1 c. salted peanuts

(if you haven’t noticed, it’s equal parts of everything, so it’s super easy to adjust as needed)

Line a baking pan with parchment paper or waxed paper.

Melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals, stirring well between each interval.  Once melted, add in chow mein noodles and peanuts and mix until well coated in chocolately goodness.

Drop by tablepoonfulls onto lined baking pan and put in refrigerator to set.  Once clusters are set, remove from pan, but it’s best to keep them refrigerated.

That’s it, easy peasy!

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season.  I can't believe it's less than one week away!

Lasagna Soup

I made this soup last week and I think it’s now officially my favorite soup, or at least in the top 5.  It was so easy and has so much flavor.  Mr. C thought the concept of lasagna soup was just plain weird, but even he was a fan, and he told me it was even better the second day for leftovers.  If you’re looking for a hearty soup to warm you up, then look no further.  There’s even a cheesy surprise at the bottom of the bowl which just puts this soup over the top.

I do want to mention that the picture shows the leftover soup which was less brothy than the night I made it.  I meant to take a photo the first night we ate the soup but honestly it smelled (and tasted) so good that I got side-tracked and gobbled up my bowl of soup before I realized that I hadn't taken a photo.

The recipe is below and you can also find a printable version here.

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Adapted from: a farmgirl’s dabbles, from the cookbook 300 sensational soups

2 tsp. olive oil

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage

½ lb. ground beef

3 c. chopped yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

½ - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 T. tomato paste

2 bay leaves

6 c. chicken broth

4 c. pasta (I used campanelle)

½ c. fresh basil leaves, chiffonaide

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 oz. skim ricotta

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

1 c. mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in large pot.  Add sausage and beef and brown.

Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomato paste, stir well, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until tomato paste turns a rusty brown color. 

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock and stir.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the “cheesy surprise” by mixing the ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and salt and pepper in a bowl. 

Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente (do not overcook pasta).  Remove from heat when pasta is al dente.  Stir in basil and add salt, pepper, and any additional red pepper flakes as needed.

To serve, place a spoonful of the “cheesy surprise” in each bowl before filling with soup.

For the Love of Pumpkin

It’s the time of year where there’s pumpkin flavored everything and I love it!   I’ve never been a coffee fan, but if I was, I’d get in on some of that pumpkin spice latte.  Although I don’t drink the lattes, I do keep my eye out for other pumpkin flavored things and have my favorite goodies I bake at home.   Today I’m sharing a recap of my favorite pumpkin recipes.  The list is small, but I’ve found that they leave an impression.

First you’ll need to start with fresh pumpkin.

Then you’ll need something to do with all those seeds.  This year I’ve been cooking them with olive oil and a sprinkling of garlic salt and Mr. C has been gobbling them up.

This is by far my favorite bread.  During the fall we eat this with some fruit for breakfast and we’re set.

I’m not really sure what to say about these cookies other than that they impress me more and more every time I make them.  If you want to get on your co-workers’ good side, bring them these.

And finally, I saw this recipe for pumpkin roll bars and gave them a shot this year.  They were so yummy and I loved that the cream cheese flavor didn’t overtake the bars.

Pumpkin Roll Bars

I was searching for new pumpkin recipes on pinterest and stumbled across these pumpkin roll bars.  I made them last night and oh my, they are good!  They’re fluffy, full of flavor, so easy to make, and not too rich.  The cream cheese in the middle is perfect without being too overpowering.  

I frequently make things for work so Mr. C assumes when I’m baking something yummy and no one is coming over that it’s for a potluck or just because at work.  I gave him one of these bars and after he scarfed it down I asked if he wanted another one and his eyes lit up as he yelled “yes!”.  I guess he thought the rest were for work which made me feel a little bad because the poor guy didn't want to ask for more!  Anyhow, you should definitely add these to your fall baking list.  You may want to take some to work or church or your neighbors because I could see the potential to eat them all for breakfast.

You can also get the printable recipe here.

Recipe from: Let's Dish

Cake Ingredients:

6 Tb. butter, melted

1 ½ c. sugar

2 eggs

2 c. cooked pumpkin or a 15 oz. can

¼ c. water

2 c. flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cloves

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used the 1/3 less fat and it tasted great)

¼ c. sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13” baking pan with non-stick spray.

Combine butter and 1 ½ c. sugar in medium-sized bowl and beat until smooth.  Add in 2 eggs, pumpkin, 1 tsp. vanilla, and water.  Mix until well blended.   Mix in flower, spices, baking soda, and baking powder and mix until blended.  Spread about 2/3 of the batter evenly into the pan.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 egg, ¼ c. sugar, and ½ tsp. vanilla until smooth.  Spread cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin batter.  Dollop the remaining pumpkin batter over the cream cheese layer and spread evenly.  Use a butter knife to swirl together the cream cheese and top layer of pumpkin batter.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center of the pumpkin batter springs back when touched.  Cool completely (good luck, it smells soooo good) and cut into bars.

Amazing Pumpkin Bread

I'm so very excited that I made it through another AZ summer and fall is starting!  The nights are cooling down, our trees are dropping their leaves like it’s hot, and I’ve had the itch to throw on an apron and bake a whole bunch of pumpkin stuff.  Today I’m sharing my favorite fall recipe – pumpkin bread!  This bread is so simple to make and tastes wonderful.  The hardest part is waiting for the bread to cool before taking it out of the pans and gobbling it up.

I’m not sure where this recipe came from – I received it in a forwarded email with no info about the wonderful person who came up with this.  It’s my go-to pumpkin bread recipe and as with anything being baked with pumpkin, I most definitely recommend using fresh pumpkin instead of the canned if possible. 

You can also find the printable recipe for the pumpkin bread here.

Amazing Pumpkin Bread

1 c. butter or margarine, softened

3 c. sugar

3 eggs

3 c. flour

1 Tb. baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp cloves

1 ½ tsp nutmeg

16 oz. can pumpkin puree or 2 c. fresh

Mix all ingredients.  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans (make sure you spray the sides, or the bread will stick).  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until it tests done.  When done baking, lay pans on side for 10 minutes, run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen up the bread, and let cool before removing from pans.

Chipotle Avocado BLTs

Sometimes you just want something simple for dinner.   Last week was one of those times.  I decided to make BLTs and spice it up a bit. The result was amazing and Mr. C has been asking me when we’re making them again.  You barely even need a recipe for this one, but here it is anyhow and you can access the printable here.  Sorry for the photography…I was having some serious camera issues.

Ingredients

Bread

Romaine Lettuce, washed and dried
Large tomato, sliced

Avocado, sliced

Applewood smoked bacon

Mayo

Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce

Cook the bacon to your liking.  We like ours crispy round here and we ended up using 3 pieces per sandwich.  It also fits better if you cut the bacon in half.

While you’re toasting the bread, mince 1-2 of the chipotle peppers and mix with ¼ c. mayo.  I cut our peppers into fairly large pieces but they have a bit of a kick.  You may want to add the peppers a little at a time and taste for flavor.  I also mixed some of the sauce in with the mayo mixture.  This was plenty for 2 sandwiches but you can adjust as needed.  

Generously spread on the mayo mixture and start layering – bacon, lettuce, tomato, and top with avocado.  You could be really crazy and add some cheese too.  

I firmly believe that sandwiches taste better when they are cut diagonally in half, so I suggest doing this as well!

We ate ours with a veggie-packed salad and some kettle chips.  So good!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of my favorite things about the summer is the fresh fruit salads.  I’ve had many strawberry salads over the years but this one is my favorite because of the phenomenal dressing.   Unfortunately I’m not sure of the original source of this recipe; a co-worker got it from another co-worker who I think got it from someone else.  The salad is simple to throw together and it’s typically the dish I get the most complements on when serving it to guests.  I buy the cinnamon roasted almonds at Sprouts (or Trader Joes), but I’ve also made them before using a recipe close to this one.

The nuts need to be made ahead of time if you’re making them instead of buying, but actually mixing the cinnamon mixture is quick; it’s the baking that takes a bit of time.  You can make a big batch though and if you can keep from snacking on them, you'll have them on hand for when you want to throw this salad together.  

I’ve made this before with spring mix and it’s just not the same so I definitely recommend sticking to the spinach.  The spinach is heavy enough that it perfectly balances out the nuts and strawberries without wilting under the weight of the dressing.

The dressing makes a big batch so you can half it or just keep it in the fridge for the week, which is what I do.  When I run out of strawberries, I switch them out for apples or mangoes.

I’m not one for measuring when it comes to salads, except for the dressing.  I start with 3-4 handfuls of spinach (or you can use cups if you want).  Throw in a little salt and pepper and toss it around (in the bowl…don’t want any confusion here..if I’m not specific with Mr. C he’ll do crazy things like start tossing the spinach on the ground).

Here’s another scientific measurement for you; then grab a small handful of the nuts and throw them in.

I go a little overboard on the strawberries sometimes, but hey, no one ever complains.  With the 3-4 handfuls spinach I’d use a pint of strawberries, sliced horizontally because for some reason I swear it tastes better that way. 

As you can see, I don’t have great measurements, but I’ve put some together for you.  I usually throw in a bunch of stuff, mix it up, and then see if I need to add more.

Finish by making the dressing.  You can blend it in a blender, but I like it better whisked.  Put the dressing on right before serving.

 You can get the printable recipe here.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

4 c. (or handfuls) spinach (don’t pack it if you’re using a measuring cup)

1 pt. strawberries, hulled and sliced horizontally

½ c. cinnamon roasted almonds

Poppy Seed Dressing

¼ c sugar

¼ t salt

1 t poppy seed

1 t dry mustard

1 t instant onion powder

1/3 c red wine vinegar

2/3 c olive oil

Whisk dressing or use blender to combine.  Toss with salad right before serving.  Dressing should stay fresh for about a week in the refrigerator. THIS WILL MAKE MORE THAN YOU NEED FOR ONE SERVING.

Place Spinach in large bowl.  Salt and pepper lettuce. Add sliced strawberries and nuts and toss.  Add dressing one tablespoon at a time until salad is lightly coated.