Not your everyday spinach salad that’s for sure! I ordered it for lunch one day at a restaurant, long gone from the Vancouver scene and am I glad I did! It was so good, I had to try and recreate it at home. Every time I make it, everyone loves it, not only is it good to eat but the colours are fabulous. You can adjust the amount of ingredients according to the number of servings you would like. It makes a yummy addition to a barbecue!
Makes approximately 4 Servings
1 ea. red & yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin julienne
¼ lb. mushrooms, sliced
Young spinach leaves, washed & spun dry (4 or 5 good handfuls)
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
Chopped fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, oregano, tarragon & parsley (some of each or your choice)
4 oz. feta cheese (I use Greek Dodonis as it is less salty than many others)
4 Tbsp. toasted pumpkin seeds (see below)
Vinaigrette (see below)
Place the sliced red onion into a bowl of cold water to which you have added ½ tsp. to 1 tsp. salt; place in the fridge for 1 hour or so.
Make the vinaigrette:
1 small clove garlic, minced
¼ cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste
½ cup EVO
Freshly ground black pepper
Put all ingredients into a jar and shake well.
Place the bell peppers and mushrooms into a shallow bowl, toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Drain the onions well, add to the pepper, mushroom mixture. Cover, place vegetables in the fridge to chill for one hour. Place the spinach into a salad bowl, add the chopped fresh herbs. Lift the vegetables out of the vinaigrette and add to the spinach. Toss together, using more vinaigrette as required. Crumble the feta cheese on top and scatter with the pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately
To toast the pumpkin seeds:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Place the pumpkin seeds into a shallow pan and place in the oven for 10 minutes or so. Check after 6 minutes to see if they have changed colour and smell toasty!
