Fresh Spinach Salads

I love spinach salads and these are three that I make a lot.  The first recipe is one from my mother that is quick and easy and I use poppy seed dressing from the store. Although, she made dressing from the bacon drippings.  She would add a little vinegar and sugar to the bacon drippings and let it simmer a little and then would  pour that over her spinach salad.

Fresh baby spinach
1/4 purple onion, sliced and ringed
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2-3 pieces of bacon, crispy and then broken over salad
4 pickled beets, sliced
These are the ingredients for one large spinach salad.  I use  Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing.

These next two are wonderful spinach salads. I got the recipes for these probably 10 years ago.

Spinach Salad with Zesty Blue Cheese Dressing
 Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled blue cheese
1/2 (8 ounces) sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
Whisk together first 4 ingredients, gradually whisk in oil.  Add cheese and stir gently.  Combine the next 3 ingredients, drizzle with dressing and toss.


Spinach Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette
Makes 6 servings

1 (10 ounce) package fresh baby spinach
1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled goat cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans, toasted

Apricot Vinaigrette
 Makes 1/2 cup

1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

Whisk together in small bowl.