Citrus Spinach Salad

Am I the only one feeling like winter will never end? I'm wishing for signs of spring and although there aren't any to be found outside, I can pretend inside.

This sunny salad is so delicious, you'll be out of the winter doldrums in a snap, proclaiming "Winter, schminter!"

I adapted this from a Rachael Ray recipe. I'm not a big fan of hers. Truth be told, I can't watch her show because she annoys the hell out of me. I found this recipe when I was doing a search one day a few years ago. It's simple and uses just a few ingredients, but is very yummy. Winter be damned! 

Citrus Spinach Salad 

Dressing: 

1 tbsp. orange marmalade 

1½ tbsp. red wine vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

shake of salt

couple of grinds of pepper

8 oz. (approx.) baby spinach or baby spinach/arugula mix

several thin half-moon slices of red onion

several thin slices of fennel 

canned mandarin orange slices, drained

sliced almonds

(The measurements for the actual salad components are up to you, depending on what you like) 

In a small bowl, whisk together the marmalade and red wine vinegar until fairly well blended. Stream the oil into the salad while whisking. Season with salt and pepper. 

In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, onion & fennel with a little of the dressing. Top with oranges and almonds and dribble a little more dressing on top. Serve.

Chili Pot Pie

Well hello everyone! I haven't posted in weeks, but I don't think I was missed all that much. The traffic on this blog is minimal and I'm not doing a whole lot to promote it. It's sometimes difficult to find the time to work on this. I have the best of intentions, but time gets away from me.

We muddled through Christmas, me with a sore back, then a cold which I passed onto Jim. He's also been doing physio for torn tendons in his shoulder, and we did a dog sitting stint. And it seems like every day I have to clean snow off the car. As much as I like winter, this year it has been a bit much. Extreme cold with quite a bit of snow has everyone wishing for green grass and sunshine. But there is nothing like warm, comforting, hearty meals to take the chill off.

Chili always hits the spot. It's very hearty with warming spices and it's a great way to use up bits of things hanging around it your fridge and/or pantry.While puttering around home, I made a big pot of Chocolate Chipotle Chili from The Urban Vegan  then topped it with a cornmeal crust and had a 'Chili Pot Pie'.

I've been making this dish for years. It's a variation on a recipe that I clipped from Canadian Living magazine in 1995! (I meant it when I said years) The chili part can be whichever recipe is your favourite. Put enough chili into a casserole dish, that is approx. 3 quart size, to fill roughly 2/3 of the dish (you want a decent chili to topping ratio) then just top it with the crust.

Cornmeal Crust

2/3 cup unbleached flour (I use half whole wheat)
1/3 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter, softened or 1 tbsp. oil
¼ cup grated cheddar or jack cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup milk*
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)

Mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in cheese. Beat egg with milk and stir into flour mixture until blended. Spread evenly over chili. Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake in 375°F oven for about 25 minutes or unitl crust is golden bown. 

Serves 4-6

*Sometimes, for no apparent reason, things go crazy with baking and I will occasionally find this batter too thick. If that's the case, it sometimes doesn't bake through the middle. I will either add a couple of tablespoons of extra milk to thin out the batter, or if the top is nicely browned but not fully cooked, cover with foil and let bake another 10 minutes or so.