Spinach Salad

When we lived in Rigby, Idaho we built a house on an acre lot. We had a monstrous garden that was bigger than my current suburban back yard. It was usually parched and full of weeds, but we did grow some edible plants like tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, and spinach. Olivia would sit out in the dirt and make "chocolate milk cake" in a sand bucket and I would try to figure out what to do with all of the vegetables the garden produced. That's when I first discovered this spinach salad recipe. I think the best part of the salad is the dressing. It's a sweet red wine vinaigrette that matches perfectly with the strong flavors of the bacon, mushrooms, and Swiss cheese. Reminds me of the windy summer days in Idaho.

Salad Ingredients:

1 package fresh baby spinach

1 small head of Romaine lettuce

12 ounces bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

12 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 cups Swiss cheese, grated

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard

1 1/2 cups canola oil

1 medium purple onion, diced small

1 green onion, sliced

1 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions:

Break spinach and lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss together with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. Chill in refrigerator.

In a blender, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard. Place lid on blender and blend on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Turn off blender and add onions and poppy seeds. Pulse blender once to mix. Pour in dressing jar. Refrigerate and shake well before serving.