Salad. What comes to mind when you read that word? Lettuce? Tomatoes? Onions? Maybe some chicken breast? Salad dressing? Wow…you’re mind has quite the imagination doesn’t it? To be fair, most people really only think about salads as it relates to their waistlines and in that case, boring is what it usually is. We’ve all heard the stories about the fat and calories in a restaurants’ Chinese Chicken Salad or how adding the shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and creamy salad dressing makes that bowl of lettuce have more calories than an In-n-Out double double monster style. But sometimes you just need a simple, straightforward salad to set your palate straight and to get your eating in check. But no one said it had to be boring or tasteless.

Spinach salads can be pretty boring too, I know. But with the big “green” kick that everyone seems to be on these days, spinach has become a very popular item. While spinach isn’t quite the blank slate that iceberg or romaine lettuces are, it is still pretty compatible with lots of flavors. Of course bacon is my favorite flavor pairing for spinach, but strawberries are my number two favorite. So I thought I’d share this strawberry spinach salad recipe with you. It’s healthy AND it tastes really good.

It’s very strange to me to call any salad (that’s a bowl of greens with some toppings on it) a recipe. Let’s face it…you throw a bunch of stuff in a bowl, pour a little dressing on it and shovel it in your pie hole (sorry, eat it). This strawberry spinach salad is no different. However, a couple of the things that go in it (pickled rhubarb) and on it (poppy seed dressing) do have recipes. So I guess it merits the recipe tag…but don’t panic, it’s easy stuff.

Like I said before, I don’t believe in boring salads so I’m always looking for things to add to them to make them taste better, look better and be even better for you without adding a lot of extra calories. So I started digging around and decided to toss some rhubarb into the mix. Don’t get your panties all in a knot, I realize that rhubarb is really tart and sometimes as hard as a rock. So to soften it up a bit, both literally and figuratively, I decided to pickle it. Not in a green dill kind of way, but a bit more subtle and flavorful way. When the pieces are mixed into the salad, it brings so much extra flavor to everything. Plus, while strawberries and spinach are a classic combo…so are strawberries and rhubarb.

To really mash things up a bit, and go a little crazy, I tossed in some green almonds for a little texture and even more flavor. What do you mean you’ve never heard of green almonds. See that picture above? That’s them. Okay until this year, I hadn’t heard of them either. I was strolling through this little Middle Eastern market, and there they were (not these, but some other one’s). I scooped some up, brought them home and did a little research. They are exactly what the name “green almonds” says they are. They are baby almonds, which are green (and on the soft side) before they ripen and turn hard.

They’re a popular snack and are used a little bit in cooking. I only found a few actual cooked dishes. They are mostly used as a slightly crunchy garnishment on things or as a snack. The first batch I got had already found the nut to be starting to harden and have the outer brownish skin. They didn’t taste like almonds at all. In fact, they were really bitter and I ended up tossing them out. Then I got a package from the Almond Board of California (because they found out I was looking for green almonds). These were perfect (or at least the kind of green almonds I was looking for perfect).

When I cut these open, I found the almond to be just formed. You can see from the salad picture that they are almost a bright white. The inside of the baby almond is kind of like the texture of a grape, but with a tangier grass-like flavor. Who needs crummy croutons to top a salad when you can top it with green almonds (lower calories and I think they taste better).

Green almonds are only available for about 8 weeks (May into June), so may still be able to find some. They’re definitely something to try.

Last but not least, how could you have a strawberry spinach salad without poppy seed dressing? I threw the strawberry part in there again to remind that this isn’t just a spinach salad, because if it were it would be topped with a hot bacon dressing.

This lemon poppy seed dressing is simple to make and easy to modify to your tastes. I prefer mine on the tart side but if you like it sweeter, add more sugar. With the exception of the poppy seeds, you probably already have all the ingredients you need to make the dressing.

So get moving on this salad. It really tastes as good as that picture looks. And it might just help you get back into those jeans you were wearing last summer and can’t even zip now.

 Relationship Advice

Sometimes it’s a fine line between being sick and being “sick.”

Related posts:

1. Grilled Chicken Salad with a Modernized Green Goddess Dressing
2. Stacked Butter Lettuce Salad with Pears and Taleggio Dressing Recipe
3. Fresh Dill Salad Dressing

My Man's Belly

We’ve all had hummus at some point. That thick garbanzo bean paste like Middle Eastern dip/spread has found its culinary niche in our diets. Which, I have to admit, is quite the tasty addition. But what would happen if you swapped out the garbanzo beans (or chickpeas if you will) with sugar snap peas? Let’s just say, it’s an experiment worth making.

Spring vegetable recipes are a dime a dozen (especially this time of year, since it is Spring and all), but what happens when you take one of Spring’s most popular vegetables, sugar snap peas, and give ‘em a spin in the food processor with the usual ingredients for hummus? Well duh, you get homemade hummus made from sugar snap peas.

I had lunch, a few weeks ago, at a place I don’t get to nearly enough, Le Pain Quotidien (LPQ). On their menu was one of the seasonal specials called “Sweet Pea Hummus Tartine.” As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. What’s not to love about it? It’s got sweet peas, it’s hummus, it had garden vegetables with it and a smoked tea vinaigrette. Winner winner chicken, errr, vegan dinner.

When they brought it out, you could hardly tell that there was actually an open faced sandwich on the plate. It was covered in a confetti of garden vegetables. Not that I was complaining…we all know how I like to play with my food. It looked so pretty that I think even my lunch companion was jealous that she hadn’t ordered the same thing.

I’m a firm believer in trying to make restaurant dishes at home. In fact, a reader once asked me to re-create her favorite LPQ dish, and I did. (A gluten free six layer quiche) Yes, there are certain dishes that I order when I go out to eat because I either can’t or have no desire to make them at home. Sometimes, I order something that sounds really delicious just so that I can try it out and then make it at home…this is one of those times. And when a lunch item is that good and costs almost $12, I’m definitely interested in making it at home.

Sweet peas recipes are probably bombarding you right about now. In fact, this time last year I was even one of those people assaulting your inbox with this sweet pea crostini recipe. But let’s face it, it’s that time of year and haven’t you had just about enough of all those squash recipes? I have. And fresh peas are just really good.

Homemade hummus is easy to make. A couple of cans of garbanzo beans, some lemon juice, tahini, garlic and olive oil and you’re basically done. It’s easy, cheap and delicious, so why not make it at home? But why not change up your usual hummus recipe with something a little more fun and different. Plus, you get the ability to add something new to your standard sweet peas recipes.

Since I really couldn’t taste any vinaigrette on the tartine (not that I was all that surprised between the garlic and the tahini how would you) I didn’t make any vinaigrette for this recipe. Besides, if you’re making this up as a homemade hummus you probably wouldn’t be adding it to the bowl anyway. I made this hummus so that it really was just another one of those spring vegetable recipes you could add to your collection and use any way you saw fit. I chose to schmear it on some really grainy/nutty European bread, but you could just as easily slather it onto some pita bread or dunk other veggies into it. Hey, if you want to smear it all over your body and let somebody lick it off of you I’m good with that too. In fact, that sounds like fun.

So however you decide to enjoy sugar snap peas this season, I hope you make this homemade hummus at least once. It really does make a killer lunch or awesome appetizer.

Relationship Advice

Sometimes it’s hard to decide between Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs.

Related posts:

1. Fresh Spring Vegetable and Garlic Scapes Salad
2. Spring has Sprung with this Asparagus and Leek Tart
3. Clean Detox Recipes: Vegetable Juice

My Man's Belly