Popeye’s favorite side

Good evening!  I’m sitting here watching our second set of new neighbors move in.  I’m wondering how a family of four and two large dogs are going to fit into a two-bedroom townhome identical to ours.  Anywho, I had to share a wonderful side dish I made tonight.  The recipe was inspired by one I found in the great pink cookbook pictured in the post below this one.  I love fresh spinach, and combined with smokey bacon, sweet red onions, and tangy vinaigrette… this was a winner.  Wayne loved it too.  He said he could have just eaten that for dinner!  (I made chicken and sweet potatoes too.)  I know I say this a lot, but please make this!  It may not seem like anything special, but trust me on this one – it’s delicious!! 

Wilted Spinach Salad
Inspired by cookbook recipe.  Below is my version.   

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 slices turkey bacon, diced
• 1/4 of a medium red onion, sliced
• 1 small package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar (I used half balsamic and half white vinegar)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 3/4 of a regular sized bag)
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping, optional but recommended!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Saute the bacon and onion until onion is soft and bacon starts to brown.
2. In the meantime, combine the vinegar, sugar and mustard in a small bowl.
3. Remove bacon and onion mixture from pan and set aside.
4. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute just until they start to break down.  Remove from pan and set aside with the bacon/onion mixture.   
5. Add the oil to pan, then carefully stir in the vinegar mixture.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. 
6. Add the bacon/onion mixture and mushrooms back to the pan, stirring to coat with the dressing.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.
7. Add the spinach to the pan.  Toss to coat and let the spinach just start to wilt.
8. Place salad on plates and top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.  Serve warm.

**Note:  You will have extra dressing left in the bottom of the pan!  I saved it and am super excited about having it tomorrow for lunch.  I recommend you do this too, or you could try halving the dressing ingredients OR increasing the spinach!