Warm Spinach Salad- Great for Winter Lunches!
If you're anything like me, winter is a time of feeling sluggish and tired with little energy to do much else. I'm a soup and salad kind of person, but I find myself shying away from salads in the colder months because they leave me feeling unsatisfied and still hungry, which leads to unhealthy snacking later in the day.
One of my favorite winter salads is a spinach and tomato salad. It's served warm, so it warms your belly when you eat it and leaves you feeling full. Since spinach is so healthy for you-- full of fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that help guard your body from the winter sniffles-- you can eat a lot of it without feeling guilty. Tomatoes are also great because of their anti-oxidant qualities, but the flavor is sometimes a little dull throughout the winter months. Heating them up in a pan to bring out their natural sweetness and rich flavor is a great way to enjoy fresh tomatoes in the winter.
To make the salad you'll need some organic baby spinach, a couple large cloves of garlic, a handful of cherry tomatoes, some extra virgin olive oil (find one that you like the flavor of, they aren't all the same) and some sea salt and pepper. Start by peeling and finely mincing the garlic. Then, in a skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the garlic. Make sure the garlic is coated in the oil, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. If you start to see the garlic turn brown, turn down the heat. Add the tomatoes and toss them with the oil, moving them around in the pan every so often. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper onto the tomatoes. Their color will start to brighten and they will begin to soften in about 4-6 minutes. The tomatoes should begin to burst and release some of their juices. If they don't, help them along by gently piercing them with the blade of a sharp knife. The warm tomato juice will mix with the olive oil and create a delicious dressing for the spinach. This is when you want to turn off the heat and put 2-3 good-sized handfuls (one handful is roughly a cup) of the spinach into the pan. Using tongs, toss the spinach with the oil and tomatoes so that it is coated and begins to wilt. You don't want to cook the spinach, just get it to soften slightly and release some of its moisture. After tossing for a minute or two, transfer the salad to a plate. Season with a little more salt and pepper, if desired.
This recipe is for one person. It doubles, triples, and quadruples easily, but make sure you use a really big pan if you're making this for more than two people.
I like having this with a cup of vegetarian lentil soup or sometimes a slice of whole grain baguette. It's a lunch that leaves me satisfied and helps keep my energy levels up until dinner time.
Just an FYI, as prepared above, this recipe has around 5 grams of fat (but that's healthy fat from the olive oil) and is well under 100 calories.
One of my favorite winter salads is a spinach and tomato salad. It's served warm, so it warms your belly when you eat it and leaves you feeling full. Since spinach is so healthy for you-- full of fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients that help guard your body from the winter sniffles-- you can eat a lot of it without feeling guilty. Tomatoes are also great because of their anti-oxidant qualities, but the flavor is sometimes a little dull throughout the winter months. Heating them up in a pan to bring out their natural sweetness and rich flavor is a great way to enjoy fresh tomatoes in the winter.
To make the salad you'll need some organic baby spinach, a couple large cloves of garlic, a handful of cherry tomatoes, some extra virgin olive oil (find one that you like the flavor of, they aren't all the same) and some sea salt and pepper. Start by peeling and finely mincing the garlic. Then, in a skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the garlic. Make sure the garlic is coated in the oil, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. If you start to see the garlic turn brown, turn down the heat. Add the tomatoes and toss them with the oil, moving them around in the pan every so often. Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper onto the tomatoes. Their color will start to brighten and they will begin to soften in about 4-6 minutes. The tomatoes should begin to burst and release some of their juices. If they don't, help them along by gently piercing them with the blade of a sharp knife. The warm tomato juice will mix with the olive oil and create a delicious dressing for the spinach. This is when you want to turn off the heat and put 2-3 good-sized handfuls (one handful is roughly a cup) of the spinach into the pan. Using tongs, toss the spinach with the oil and tomatoes so that it is coated and begins to wilt. You don't want to cook the spinach, just get it to soften slightly and release some of its moisture. After tossing for a minute or two, transfer the salad to a plate. Season with a little more salt and pepper, if desired.
This recipe is for one person. It doubles, triples, and quadruples easily, but make sure you use a really big pan if you're making this for more than two people.
I like having this with a cup of vegetarian lentil soup or sometimes a slice of whole grain baguette. It's a lunch that leaves me satisfied and helps keep my energy levels up until dinner time.
Just an FYI, as prepared above, this recipe has around 5 grams of fat (but that's healthy fat from the olive oil) and is well under 100 calories.
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