Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Pistachios and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Red pepper jelly. What a weird thing.  Jelly is supposed to be sweet so why do you have this jelly that tastes a bit spicy?!  To make this salad of course!

I needed red pepper jelly for another recipe and for the life of me I cannot figure out which recipe it is.  Anyway I had this stashed in my fridge and so I figured let's give it a go. I was a little skeptical of this salad at first, I wasn't sure how the flavors would come together.  In the end this turned out to be a nice little salad.

To make this substantial enough for my lunch, I added two soft boiled eggs (not pictured).  The only other thing I changed in this recipe was to use blue cheese instead of gorgonzola.  I have issues some times navigating the Wegman's cheese department....But blue cheese and gorgonzola are essentially the same, so I don't think it made a big difference. 

The spiciness of the vinaigrette complements the blue cheese perfectly.  I'm not exactly sure what the pistachios add to this recipe but I enjoyed them nonetheless.  Maybe this salad would be better with a little sweet bite, like dried cherries.  Don't quote me on that though. :)

This salad would be a great compliment to any meal and sounds fancy when serving your guests.

As of today's post 11 people gave this an average rating of 5 out of 5.

Recipe by Laura Zapalowski, Cooking Light, November 2008

• YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup spinach mixture and 2 teaspoons nuts)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red pepper jelly
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted pistachios 

Preparation

1. Place jelly in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds. Add cider vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cool to room temperature.
2. Combine spinach and cheese in a large bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture over spinach mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

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• Amount per serving
• Calories: 101
• Calories from fat: 54%
• Fat: 6.1g
• Saturated fat: 1.6g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Protein: 2.9g
• Carbohydrate: 10.4g
• Fiber: 2.3g
• Cholesterol: 4mg
• Iron: 1.3mg
• Sodium: 187mg
• Calcium: 54mg

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Flank Steak Salad with Plums and Blue Cheese

 I love any combination that uses blue cheese and flank steak was on sale so we thought why not. I wasn't sure about plums but it turns out I like them very much.  This recipe comes together really quickly and we made no changes to it, so rather than going on and on, I'll just post the recipe! 

Since this recipe is in the most current Cooking Light issue, only 3 people reviewed it (4 stars on average).

Recipe by Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light, August 2010

Total: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• 4  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1  (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1  teaspoon  honey
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 8  cups  loosely packed baby arugula
• 3  plums, thinly sliced
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese

Preparation

1. Combine pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl; rub over both sides of steak.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let rest 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
3. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, honey, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add arugula; toss gently to coat. Arrange about 1 1/2 cups arugula mixture onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 3 ounces steak, about 1/2 cup plums, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 290

Fat: 15.8g (sat 5.4g,mono 7.7g,poly 1.3g)

Protein: 26.1g

Carbohydrate: 11.3g

Fiber: 1.5g

Cholesterol: 48mg

Iron: 2.1mg

Sodium: 373mg

Calcium: 102mg

Candied-Walnut, Pear and Leafy Green Salad

Ok so I've had this for lunch two weeks in a row, can you say delicious?  I'm normally not a walnut person but these candied walnuts provide such a sweet crunch that's to die for.  The balsamic really complements the pears and walnuts really well.

I did make two lazy changes, which was to use Wegman's white balsamic dressing instead of making the dressing in the recipe, and to use a pre-mixed salad bag instead of mixing it at home(who has time for that).  Since I'm from NY, I love everything Wegman's and I had it in my fridge so I figured why make things more difficult for myself.  If you can find it, this dressing is excellent! 

We also had this on the side for dinner on Saturday with the in-laws (other recipes to come). I will be doing as the author suggests and make extra batches of the nuts around the holidays to give out!  I didn't try the wine paring with this but I'll have to next time.

As of today's post, 7 people gave this an average rating of 5 out of 5!

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we did in ours!

Recipe by Cooking Light, November 2009

The sweet, crunchy nuts are great on their own--make a double batch, and give some as a gift.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 2/3  cup  chopped walnuts, toasted
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 2  tablespoons  white balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard
• 3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  capers, chopped
• 4  cups  torn green leaf lettuce
• 4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce
• 4  cups  chopped radicchio
• 1  ripe red Anjou pear, thinly sliced
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 1 minute). Continue cooking 1 minute or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat; carefully stir in nuts to coat evenly. Spread nuts on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; separate nuts quickly. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside until cool; break into small pieces.
2. Combine vinegar and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in capers.
3. Combine lettuces and radicchio; top with pear and candied walnuts. Drizzle dressing evenly over salad; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
Wine note: I favor a crisp white with almost any green salad, and Candied Walnut, Pear, and Leafy Green Salad is no exception. 2007 Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition ($16) has a gorgeous nose of honey and lemon peel that resonates perfectly with the candied nuts and pears. --Gary Vaynerchuck

Nutritional Information

Calories: 171

Fat: 11.6g (sat 1.3g,mono 4.6g,poly 5.2g)

Protein: 2.7g

Carbohydrate: 16.3g

Fiber: 2.6g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 1mg

Sodium: 177mg

Calcium: 37mg