Spinach Salad with Pear

One of my pet peeves is shopping for lettuce and the best before date is tomorrow. And they want to charge you the full price.

I usually buy whatever lettuce has the best date. As long as it's green and crisp.

Spinach seems to have a longer shelf life, so when I got my produce last week, I picked up a large container of baby spinach.

I love cooked spinach, raw in sandwiches or in hamburgers, stuffed in chicken breast with some cheese, and the traditional spinach salad.

Today I wanted to make a salad that was a little different, and perhaps not as many points as the traditional with mounds of mozzarella and hard boiled eggs.



Spinach Salad with Sliced Pear

1 cup baby spinach
1/4 to 1/2 Red Anjou pear, sliced
1 slice red onion
5 or 6 walnuts broken in pieces
15 gm low fat or fat free mozzarella

Dressing
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch salt

I used the juice from 2 clementines. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a small bottle with a lid and give it a few shakes before adding to the salad.

The salad was more of a side than a meal, however there was enough dressing to toss three or four cups of spinach. Keep leftover dressing in the refrigerator, and remove about 10 minutes before you are ready to use.

But the small side salad was just the start...

I removed a loaf of home made French bread from the freezer on Saturday in honour of National Grilled Cheese Sandwich day.

This needed to get used up before it starts turning the colour of the spinach.

I haven't made a steak sandwich in quite some time and again wanted to keeps the points low.

Steak Sandwich

1 3-5oz thin sirloin
2 slices of French bread
1 garlic clove
1 tsp olive oil

Either spray the frying pan with a little canola cooking spray, or add 1 tsp olive oil to a hot frying pan. (non-stick won't work well) Salt the steak, and sear on both sides, on med high heat. Once the steak is cooked, add a little water to the pan and make a sauce from the browning on the bottom.

Under a broiler set to high, toast the French bread on both sides. Rub one side with the garlic clove.

Put the steak on top of the bread, and pour the sauce over the top.
(Shelley)