Thursday, September 11, 2014

SUPERFOODS SALAD Spinach Quinoa Craisins Almonds Grains MORE - 52 Church Potluck Salads


Let me start with the statement, "I am not a Health Nut and my blog is not  a Healthy Living blog".  Chances are you will see more BBQ Food here than you will find recipes for the popular SuperFoods Recipes you find on those Healthy Living blogs.

But, I do have two cooking hobbies... I do like to cook for my Church.  I am always the guy that signs up forst when a PotLuck occasion comes up.  I also am in the middle of starting a small catering company.  I am in the midst of adding new recipes that work wel for catered business lunches.

This little gem has been the biggest hit I have made for both these occasions recently.

I took this salad for an after Church lunch and it was the first dish on the table emptied.  Lots of requests for the recipe.  I also offered this as an option for lunches last week and this is the dish everyone singled out for their post event review as the HIT of the meal.

It came about as a bit of a happy accident.  I have been working on a Wild Rice and Quinoa stuffing for pork chops.  While close, I am still not happy with the results.  But I did have leftovers.  So a lunch the next day, I had some leftover spinach, some leftover Pork chop stuffing (the rice and quinoa) and I just raided the pantry for the rest.

Probably what makes the dish is the Lemon Honey Vinaigrette Dressing (very easy to DIY your own).  My wife was thrilled with the results and the new HIT salad was born!

IT's SUPERFOODS TO THE RESCUE
(and even BBQ Guys like it too)!!!


OK... Here's what I did...


SUPERFOODS SALAD Spinach Quinoa Craisins Almonds Grains MORE


Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Cooked Quinoa (Prepare according to package directions)
  • 1 Cup Cooked Wild Rice (Prepare according to package directions)
  • 1 Cup Cooked Red Lentils (Prepare according to package directions)
  • 6 Cups Spinach, wash spin dried and stems removed
  • FOR THE LEMON VINAIGRETTE DRESSING Juice AND Zest of 1 Large Lemon (or 2 small/medium size)
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • 3 TBS Honey
  • FOR THE LITTLE EXTRAS (Garnishes) 1/4 Cup Craisins (Dried Cranberries)
  • 1/4 Cup Almond Slivers
Cooking Directions
  1. Prepare the Quinoa, Wild Rice and Red Lentils according to the package directions and mix together.
  2. Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a Mason Jar, add the ingredients for the Dressing. Close the lid and shake like Hell for a couple of minutes. Taste and add additional honey if you like sweet, lemon juice if you like tart or salt if you must.
  3. In a LARGE Bowl, Mix Salad Dressing and the grains. Add the Spinach and mix thoroughly until all of the spinach has a coating of the dressing (but not too much of a coating). Chill until ready to serve.
  4. Serve Chilled and ENJOY!

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This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".
I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Specialty Salad Recipes"!!!

Sometimes they are the main course, sometimes a lunch and sometimes they are the side dish... And if you count Jell-o salad you can even make a dessert of a salad.  Here are a few of my favorite salads that get far more Ooohs and Aaahs than that simple chopped head of lettuce.

Links include Potato Salads, Cole Slaws, and Plenty of greens and fixins' Salads... And more than a few matching FRESH MADE Jam Jar make it yourself Salad Dressings!

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