Ethan's Favorite Salad

My younger son loves this salad.  I make the main salad the same, and of course add or use any other vegetables that I have in the fridge that I'd like to use up! I think it is a really good salad to get little ones started eating salads—the spinach is a good starter green and this dressing seems to be a hit with kiddos.

Here are my "little ones!"  I wish they didn't have to grow up so fast!  But all in all, I've been a very lucky mother and wife that my two boys and husband are happy to try just about anything I cook. Very good taste testers, and the older boy is quite the honest critic!

Ethan's Spinach Salad

Ingredients

•                5-6 cups fresh spinach (baby preferably), rinsed, stemmed, and patted dry

•                1/2 C thinly sliced red onion

•                2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges

•                3-4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and thinly sliced

Dressing:

•                1/2 cup honey

•                1/4 cup Dijon mustard

•                1 cup vegetable oil (I like grapeseed oil)

•                2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

•                1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

•                1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional addition ideas: 

•                2 cups white button mushrooms or baby bellas, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced

•                carrots, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced

•                bell pepper-any color, sliced to your liking

•                sugar snap peas

•                4-6 green onions

•                radishes, sliced (breakfast radishes are milder for kids and are found at farmer's markets more often than the grocery)

•                chick peas

Salad:

Combine the spinach, tomatoes, egg, and onion (and any other veggies you are using) in a large mixing bowl and toss. Use enough of the dressing that follows to lightly coat the ingredients. (NOTE: keep some of the egg and tomato to garnish if you want a prettier presentation.)

For the dressing: 

Combine the honey and mustard in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, whisking until blended and smooth. Add the lemon juice, white pepper, and salt and whisk to blend. (Makes about 1 cup of dressing, and I keep it in the refrigerator in a glass jar.  Just use enough to dress your salad).

Another of Ethan's favorite flavors is Hoisin Sauce.  So I made the following tonight to eat with the salad...

Ethan's Hoisin Pork Loin

Ingredients

•                2 small pork loins (CAN SUB CHICKEN BREASTS)

•                Jar of Hoisin Sauce from Asian section of grocery

•                equipment: get a good meat thermometer!

Directions:

Place pork on a baking sheet that has been coated with some grapeseed or olive oil. Generously coat the pork (or chicken breasts) with the hoisin sauce.  Bake at 375 until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let stand for 15-20 minutes before slicing. (For chicken bake until thermometer registers 17- degrees Fahrenheit.)

NOTE:  Using a thermometer and not overcooking meat is an amazing discovery!  Please give it a try!

Leftover Idea

I like to use any leftover meat to make an easy take on Hoisin Pork/Chicken.  I just stir fry some green cabbage, finely sliced onion, chopped garlic, grated carrots, and shiitake mushrooms...add it to chinese rice wrappers with another drizzle of the hoisin sauce (or in a pinch tortillas) with the leftover meat! Yum!