Syndicated column from week of May 20, 2013. 

Salads are a great way to celebrate spring’s arrival and the beginning of gardening season. This super salad is an excellent light lunch for two. It is full of flavor and vitamins.

I usually use a combination of lettuce and spinach in my salads, but this one relies on the fresh spinach leaves for the base. The result is a slightly lighter salad, yet it stands on its own quite easily.

This recipe is for two servings. That makes it nice to fix for a summer lunch and you won’t extra salad to worry about saving for supper. It’s also a great recipe for a single supper serving.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 hard boiled egg
1 cup cooked broccoli
1 cooked chicken tender
¼ cup cheese crumbles
4 strawberries, sliced
2 slices rye bread, cubed
Italian dressing

Directions:

Tear the spinach leaves into several pieces each. Slice the hardboiled egg and layer over the spinach. Add the cooked, chopped broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle the cheese and strawberry slices over the salad. Top with bread cubes and dressing. Serve.

Make it a Meal:  Double the serving size to make this a dinner salad, or serve alongside a club sandwich for a full meal.

Approximate Nutritional Information: Servings Per Recipe: 2, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 290, Total Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 127mg, Sodium: 420mg, Total Carbs: 28g, Protein: 16g.

Note: this does not include dressing, as dressings vary by brand and variety.

Variations:  Check out the leftovers in your refrigerator. Add those to the top of this salad for more variety. Replace the bread cubes with croutons. Exchange the Italian dressing for Raspberry vinaigrette.

I generally have a difficult time writing or following a recipe for salad. It seems that every salad I make ends up a One of a Kind creation.

Most of them start with a lettuce and spinach base and then develop from the contents in my fridge. You know all those containers of leftovers I have mentioned in past columns? Those are prime picking ground when it comes to building a salad, in my opinion.

This recipe is fairly simple and quite pleasing to the palate as well as the eye. There is something about the dark green spinach showcasing the bright red strawberries and golden egg yolks that keeps folks picking up their forks!

You will find that even picky eaters are enticed to try new foods when their plate looks attractive. Tasting our foods begins with our eyes.

Printable recipe

What is your favorite salad topping? Eggs, cheese, veggies, meat?

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