We eat salad frequently here at the Greene House, especially during summer when it can get just too darn hot to fire up the oven or stand over a stove.  And I generally like to keep our salads very lean.  But, every once in a while, a special occasion calls for a special salad — regardless of of its calorie count.

Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside, reserving 2 Tbsp. of grease.

I found this recipe last year on Closet Cooking, one of my favorite blogs.  But, it’s too high in fat and Points value for me to make it very often.  While I would be content to call a single serving (9 PointsPlus) an entire meal, I know my Hubby well enough to realize that — despite bacon — this is simply a side salad for him that requires accompaniment with some additional meat or fish.  So, I decided to save this recipe just special occasions.

Caramelize the onions in the remaining bacon grease.

Caramelize the mushrooms in the remaining bacon grease and set aside.

Add the vinegar to the pan and deglaze it. Add the reserved bacon grease, sugar, mustard, garlic and season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

I first made this dish last December, when we hosted an elegant holiday dinner party for our good friends Kim and Barry from the Rustic Garden Bistro, pairing it with a Christmas goose, wild rice stuffing, sauteed brussel sprouts, potato leek soup and baked brie.  I last made it in February, when I treated Hubby to a romantic intimate Valentine’s dinner of scallops gratin for two (he did the cooking last year).  For the Christmas dinner party, I was able to stretch it into four small first course servings, for Valentine’s dinner I split it into just two heartier servings. And now, I’m just waiting for that next special occasion.

Assemble the salad.

Toss with dressing and serve immediately.

Spinach Salad with Bacon, Carmelized Onions and Mushrooms in a Warm Bacon Pan Dressing

 

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Weight Watchers Info: 9 PointsPlus (large), 5 PointsPlus (small)

Author: Closet Cooking

Recipe type: Main Course, Side Dish, First Course

Serves: 2 large servings (meal) or 4 small servings (first course)

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
• 1 cup red onion (sliced)
• 4 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 small clove garlic (grated)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 ounces baby spinach
• ¼ cup mild blue cheese (crumbled)

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside reserving 2 tablespoons of bacon grease.
2. Caramelize the onions in the remaining bacon grease and set aside, then caramelize the mushrooms in the remaining bacon grease and set aside.
3. Add the vinegar to the pan and deglaze it.
4. Add the reserved bacon grease, sugar, mustard, garlic and season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
5. Assemble salad, toss with dressing, and serve immediately.

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