Jamie Oliver’s Spinach Salad
My husband discovered this salad years ago when he was making me dinner. I was skeptical at first because the dinners he’d made for me before this time were…let’s just say, not what I would make. 🙂 The first bite of this salad and I was so pleasantly surprised! It’s sweet, but surprisingly, not too sweet. The almonds give it a really nice and needed crunch. We’ve since made this for my family and it has become an all-around favourite salad to make!
This salad is more of a ‘summer salad’, but as it’s one of my mom’s faves, I’ve made it several times already since I’ve been home taking care of her.
I, typically, serve this salad with barbecued chicken breast, but it can go with pretty much anything. Don’t be intimidated by the amount of sugar in this recipe. I know it’s a lot, but it’s not a salad you’ll have every day, and it’s a salad kids love because of the sweetness. A great way to get them to eat lots of spinach!
Enjoy!
Jamie Oliver's Cranberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup almonds blanched and slivered
- 1 pound baby spinach
- 1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries*
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion minced
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup avocado oil**
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and avocado oil.
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries and toss with the dressing.
Notes
**The original recipe uses vegetable oil, which is fine to use if you can't find avocado oil.
The BEST Granola!
It’s a SNOW DAY today! Snow days in Toronto NEVER happen! In my 14 years of teaching, this is my first! It’s an exciting day. To celebrate, I made more of this amazing granola!
My husband loves granola, even more than my kids. I’ve always had intentions of making it, so they could have a homemade variety, but I never found one that really motivated me to make it. That was until this recipe showed up in my email.
When I read how simple it was, and how natural the ingredients were, I knew I had to make it! I actually went out during my lunch break to get the ingredients, so that I could make it that very night!
My second batch turned out darker than my first, but that’s okay! Still tastes just as good. And I actually think it’s supposed to be this colour more than my first picture.
This granola is really good with some yogurt and fresh berries. I often eat it plain or with just berries and/or grapes. It’s sooooo good.
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts and 1 cup of sliced almonds, but I’m not a big fan of walnuts, so I just doubled the amount of almonds. You could do any nut in here. You could also add chia seeds, dried cherries/cranberries or anything you want. I like to keep it simple.
Enjoy!
The BEST Granola!
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silpat sheet.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, syrup, olive oil and salt. Toss well to coat evenly. Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through (at the 15 minute mark) to ensure the oats get evenly coated.
- Remove the tray and stir in the almonds.
- Bake for another 30 minutes, stirring halfway through again.
- Cool completely on tray.
- Can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks (but it won’t last that long! :))
Broccoli Slaw Summer Salad
Please don’t judge this recipe on my poor picture taking! I’m still learning! And, I was doing it quick, as dinner was about to be served!! I came across this recipe on Pinterest, and it is a keeper!!! It’s perfect for a picnic, a pot luck or lunch the next day…. You name it! It’s yum. We had it for lunch with BBQ chicken drumsticks AND for dinner with hamburgers and sausages. Happy Canada Day!!
Here’s what you need to do:
Slaw:
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups shredded broccoli slaw (purchased in the prepared salads area of most grocery stores)
Honey Mustard Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil*
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
*the second time I made this, I used Grapeseed oil and it was just as good!
Rinse quinoa thoroughly before cooking. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to a pot with the rinsed quinoa. Bring to a low boil, medium high heat, with the lid off the pot. Turn temperature down to medium low until the water has evaporated. Shut off the heat and place the lid on the pot and let sit for at least 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let sit until ready to add to the salad.
Meanwhile, toast the almonds over the stove until they are lightly browned. Don’t leave these unattended! They can burn easily!!
Add all of your dressing ingredients into the bowl you intend to use for your salad. Toss in your slaw, quinoa and basil and toss to coat. Add in your almonds. Don’t worry if your quinoa is still warm. It won’t damage the slaw.
Enjoy!!
(Source: Adapted from: cookiesandkate.com)
Raw Brussel Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Apple
Every five weeks, after I get my hair done, I go shopping at Whole Foods, because it’s so close to my salon. It’s my little guilty pleasure. When I was there, I saw baby brussel sprouts, and while I have scarring childhood memories of eating brussel sprouts, I wanted to give them another chance, with bacon. While I was in the produce area, there happened to be someone showcasing brussel sprouts in a fresh salad!! I was intrigued. I tried it. I liked it!!! I thought it would be a perfect salad for Christmas dinner. So, that’s what I did. I had no idea of amounts of anything. All I knew was the ingredients I needed.
I took this picture at Whole Foods, so that I would remember what I needed to buy.
I made enough salad to feed many people. It’s a nice salad to adjust easily for a small or large crowd. I, also, used a mandolin to shave my brussel sprouts, but you could easily use a knife. Just make sure to slice them thinly.
To release the pomegranates from their skin, I like to use a meat tenderizer, instead of the wooden spoon that is so often suggested. I just don’t find that the spoon does the trick. But, in a pinch, you can easily find pomegranates ready to eat. You will just pay quite a bit more.
For the almonds: I toasted mine. You can do this in the oven, but I did mine in a pan over the stove, with no oil or butter. This process doesn’t take long, so don’t leave them sitting for too long without moving them around.
For the vinaigrette: Usually for a dressing like this, follow the general rule of 1 part acid (in this case, lemon) to 3 parts oil. Add about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Shake, shake, shake.
Raw Brussel Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Apple
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussel sprouts shaved
- 3/4 cup shaved almonds toasted
- 1 to 2 apples sliced like matchsticks (or julienne)
- 1 Pomegranate seeds removed
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Mix the lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper together and set aside.
- Shave the brussel sprouts.
- Add them into a salad bowl with the apple and pomegranate.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette and top with almonds.
- Enjoy!
Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
Chicken salad may seem mundane and boring, but this one is different! It has natural sweetness from the apple and a crunch from the almonds. It’s satisfying and healthy and a keeper of a recipe! When you are following a food plan that eliminates dairy, finding something to eat that is creamy is kind of special! Here’s what happened…
First things first, if you can’t eat sugar, you need to make homemade mayo. If you can, store bought mayonnaise will work just fine here.
Here’s what you need to do..
Chicken Salad
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shredded carrots
1 diced celery stalk
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise, or store bought
1 or 2 scallions, diced
Paprika (optional)
In a non-stick pan, cook chicken in olive oil until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly. Add the carrots, celery, apple and mix together. Add mayonnaise and adjust the amount if you feel it needs more. Just before serving, add in the almonds, scallions and salt and pepper, if necessary. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve with romaine lettuce leaves.
Enjoy!
(Source: adapted from https://goodcheapeats.com/2013/04/chicken-salad-wraps/|)
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