Simple Spinach & Mozzarella salad (serves 4)

 We love salad, but sometimes I find it a pain to make. You have to wash the greens, and then pull out the salad spinner and dry everything throughly, (or else you get soggy leaves!), and then there is the dressing to make.

I hate to buy dressing as it invariably gets forgotten behind a multitude of stuff in the fridge, and then I have to throw it out. Making it as I need it seems more practically, but it also adds to the growing list of reasons why I find salad troublesome to make in my tiny excuse for a kitchen.

Simple Spinach & Mozzarella Salad (quick & delicious)

Not anymore however! While checking out the greens in the supermarket I found organic greens with the slogan “triple washed, so you don’t have to!” Problem solved. No soaking leaves in my sink and making room for the salad spinner on the drain board. All I had to do with these beautiful spinach leaves was toss them into a bowl and we had a scrummy salad on the table in 5 minutes flat.

Yes, it is a little more expensive, but, I scrimp on so many other things in my life that I can completely justify this small extravagance. It will be a good backup plan when I’m in no mood to go to any trouble, or am out of time. (Of course I will still gladly wash lettuce that I grow in my garden in the summertime)

The fresh mozzarella was all this spinach needed and this salad was complete. So, if you are in a hurry, or feeling lazy, go ahead, splurge on triple-washed greens and take the hassle out of salad making!

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You will need: 10 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed & dried (I bought organic triple-washed spinach which took care of this step!), 8 oz ball fresh mozzarella, 4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Coleman’s or Dijon mustard, 2 tsp honey, pinch of sea-salt, freshly cracked black pepper.

1 – Place spinach in a big bowl and top with mozzarella.

Fresh organic spinach leaves (perfect for salad)

2 – Put rest of ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until it forms an emulsion. Taste for addition of salt and pepper (or balsamic or oil).

this is lovely before dinner, after dinner or as a light lunch dish

Pour dressing over salad and toss when ready to serve.

Whole Roast Chicken with Ginger and Olive Broth served with Spinach Salad (serves 4)

I wanted to be festive the night before the Thanksgiving Holiday in these here United States, so……as I never get to cook a turkey (that job being my mother-in-law’s), I cooked a roast chicken in a celebratory style!

Whole Roast Chicken with Ginger & Olive Broth

It tasted like a mini-feast on a plate. The ginger-y, olive-y broth added to the succulence of the chicken, and, the crunch of the simple salad was the perfect accompaniment.

The lovely Spinach Salad (I added some olives to the salad, more lovely, but it is not necessary)

I also made rice for those who wanted more girth, and managed to satisfy everyone.

It was a beautiful family night and I was so thankful for food, and the power it has to bring people together.

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For the Roast Chicken ;You will need: 1 whole chicken, (3lb), 2 onions, cut in half & sliced into very thick 1/2 moons, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 fresh bay leaves, 1 tbs minced fresh ginger root, 1 tbs fresh lime juice, 1 vegetarian bouillon cube, crumbled, 1 cup pitted green olives, 2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil,  3 cups water, cracked blacked pepper & sea salt to season chicken,

For The Spinach Salad; You will need: 10 oz (approx) baby spinach leaves, washed and dried, 4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 1 1/2 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp honey, cracked black pepper.

Preheat Oven 400*

1 – In a heavy casserole with a lid, add the onions, olives, rosemary, bay leaves, lime juice, crumbled bouillon cube and grated ginger.

Lay veggies and herbs in bottom of heavy casserole

2 – Lay the chicken on top and drizzle with the oil and several grinds of black pepper. Put lid on top and place in oven for 1 hour 15 minutes.

lay chicken on top and add pepper and oil

3 – Remove lid from pot and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes at which time the skin will have browned. Transfer chicken to a plate  to rest (tent with foil) for about 10 minutes. When you carve the bird it will release juice, which you should return to the pan juices.

* If you are cooking rice, time to have ready by the time the chicken comes out of the oven*

remove chicken to rest on a plate

For the Salad: Whisk the olive oil, balsamic and honey together. Taste and add more of any or all of the ingredients until it is to your taste. Put leaves into a bowl and dress the salad right before you serve.

My man Dave mixed the salad into the chicken and add rice (very delish)

Divide the dish between four plates, making sure to give everyone lots of pan juices with onions and olives.