I have been having a hankering for a spinach salad, something unique and delicious. I haven't been feeling it with the traditional strawberry spinach salad and so I was looking for something a little bit different.
I found a few salads with a Bacon and Mustard theme that sounded pretty good. Plus I was pretty sure the family would like the flavors.
I started with This Recipe. A good spinach salad recipe and I really liked the idea of the boiled eggs and the dried figs. (which I was prepared to substitute with dried dates)
The Next Recipe that I found suggested using apples, just like the first recipe did. So I decided that I was definitely going to be adding a chopped apple to the salad.
The only problem that I had now was a dressing. I didn't want to just put a bottle of dressing on this amazing salad. (not to mention that I didn't HAVE any honey mustard dressing in the fridge). So I found This Recipe that included an amazing dressing. I also loved the addition of the swiss cheese and the mushrooms, so I was sure to add those too.
INGREDIENTS:
1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
10 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
2 strips crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place spinach into a large serving bowl, top with hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms, 4 crumbled strips of bacon, Swiss cheese, and almonds.
2. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, and 2 crumbled strips of bacon; season to taste with salt and pepper, then cook until hot.
3. Pour hot dressing over spinach and toss to coat.
