Healthy Meal Alert: Spinach Granola Salad with Raspberry Yogurt Vinaigrette

Isn’t this salad beautiful? I just love the colors.

What’s more than just the colorful hue of the salad, is the flavor. In the summer months, I really like to pump up the volume on my salad intake. I eat salad year round…but when summer rolls around I typically have a lot more in good quality produce choices.

I actually saw the idea for this salad in Cuisine at Home Magazine. I had never even heard of it until I was staying at my sister’s in Chicago and her husband showed it to me. It’s a fabulous magazine and great for those who are starting out cooking. It has great step by step photos and explains everything….but has fabulous inventive recipes, too! (And no…they aren’t paying me for this free PR)

I made this salad with my homemade granola. I ALWAYS have it in the house because my husband takes it to work to eat with fruit and yogurt daily. If you want the chunks in the granola, just don’t stir the granola when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool, and then you can break up the chunks into desired pieces. I hear laying a cookie sheet on top while it cools works great too, but I’ve had good luck with the former instructions without dirtying another cookie sheet.

What I love about this salad that it’s FULL of good for you ingredients. If you look at a nutrition guide…all of these items will be listed. It’s full of omega 3’s, calcium, anti-oxidants, and folic acid. You won’t even know while eating it….it’s that amazing. Use a good olive oil, the flavor really makes a difference. Don’t fret too much about the fat in the olive oil, it’s got more of the ‘good for you’ fats, plus you need a bit of fat in the food to actually absorb these vitamins anyway.

Enjoy!




Spinach Granola Salad with Raspberry Yogurt Vinaigrette
Recipe derived from: Cuisine at Home Magazine, June 2009

1 bag spinach
½ -2/3 cup granola chunks (see my homemade granola recipe)
½ cup fresh raspberries
½ sliced peach or mango
½ cup shelled edamame, steamed

Raspberry Yogurt Vinaigrette
½ cup olive oil (I used Storm Ranch)
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (Alessi makes a decent one that’s easy to find at most grocers)
1 teaspoon non-fat vanilla yogurt (you can use plain if you would like and any ‘fat’ content you wish is up to you)
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste

Directions: Assemble the salad ingredients into the bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, raspberry vinegar and yogurt. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the desired amount of dressing on the salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Tip: If you plan on serving this later in the day, just save the dressing until you are about to serve it. The dressing should be stored in the refrigerator, but bring it down to room temp to mix back together.

Homemade Granola

I never really thought about making Granola myself until my husband and I went on our one year anniversary trip to Napa/Sonoma Valley in August. We stayed at the Kenwood Inn and Spa www.kenwoodinn.com for a few days and they made the best homemade granola I have ever tasted. I was hooked! So upon my return home, I made a batch and it’s now one of my favorite things to munch on at my desk at work. (This is now my THIRD time in one week to make this).

It’s filling and it can sustain me until lunchtime (I know, even for me). PLUS, it’s got that added bonus of oats for a cholesterol reducer, dried fruits with antioxidants, cinnamon which is also heart healthy, and if you use the right nuts, you can get some omega 3’s in there as well. It’s got a nice light crunch, and very cinnamon-y. So there you have it…not only is it healthy, but it’s GOOD!

I dare you to make a batch and not eat it in one sitting. Go on…give it a try!! You have nothing to lose but those preservatives in your other morning cereals and chances are you have most of these ingredients just sitting in your pantry.

Recipe derived from "The Joy of Baking", with my personal changes

Coco’s Homemade Granola

3 Cups of Oats (not instant)
½ T Wheat Germ
¾ Slivered Almonds (or any almonds, something chopped is easier to eat)

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
½ Sunflower seeds
1 T. Cinnamon (I don’t know about you but Im wild about cinnamon and its good for you, so I added 2 T.)
1 t. Vanilla (I’m not shy on vanilla, feel free to add a ½ t. more)
¼ t. Kosher Salt
1 T. Brown Sugar (optional-I used it)
2 T. Honey
2 T. Canola Oil
½ Cup Pure maple Syrup (Grade A Dark Amber) Spare yourself the disappointment and please don’t use the processed junk--no I won't name names. :)
1 Cup Dried Fruits—reserve. (I have used dried cherries, blueberries, raisons, dates.)

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease pan, OR you can use parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine: Oats, wheat germ, nuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, salt.

In another bowl combine: Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Honey, Canola Oil, and Maple Syrup.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Stir until combined. Spread on baking sheet.

All ready for the oven

Cook for 30-40 minutes. Stirring occasionally. (This allows the mixture to brown evenly and great that nice light crunch).

Cool on wire rack, breaking up any large chunks/pieces while warm. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator to keep fresh for several weeks.

Add the dried fruits once mixture is cooked and cooled.

Cooled granola with various dried fruits

**Makes 5 cups


Top with lowfat yogurt for a great breakfast or treat!

Granola with yogurt, now if I could just start making my OWN yogurt...we're in business!

Me, taking a break on Saturday while working on new recipes