White Bean and Fresh Greens Salad

 

Arugula and spinach zip up this hearty summer salad

Summertime means salad days. So why not have a quick main-course salad for dinner?

We particularly like to mix white beans (garbanzos are good too) with big handfuls of fresh greens. Add a flavorful vinaigrette, and your dinner prep is done.

Time to eat!

Seared Steak with Arugula and Spinach

Fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice liven up this simple summer supper

As summer approaches, we want easy, satisfying meals with bold flavor. Steak with salad is a classic favorite. So why not combine the two in one dish?

Add a tasty starter and a luscious dessert, and you have a terrific company meal. Oh, and don’t forget to add a nice bottle of red to your shopping list.

Your guests are worth it. 

Wheat Berry, White Bean, and Spinach Sauté

Mushrooms add homerun flavor to this simple vegan dish

Need easy vegan for Meatless Monday? Or maybe for hosting vegan friends? We have just what you’re looking for.

It’s a mix of cooked wheat berries, white beans, mushrooms, and fresh spinach. Add some herbs for extra flavor, and you have a luscious main dish that everyone at the table will like.

Healthy flavor. It’s what’s for dinner.

Joe's Special Scrambled Eggs

Spinach, mushrooms, and meat flavor this San Francisco classic

This dish, beloved on the US west coast, was created at Original Joe’s Restaurant in San Francisco.
 
It looks like breakfast fare. But the dish is so hearty and filling that it may work better for lunch or dinner.

It certainly does for us, because we’re just not that hungry first thing in the morning. Plus, if you serve it for dinner, you can pair it with an alcoholic accompaniment. Win win.

Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup

This comforting soup is dinner in a bowl

Warming food that’s simple, quick, and tasty? Bring it on!

This meaty, spicy Italian Sausage and Lentil Soup is easy enough for weeknight dinner, but flavorful enough for sharing with friends. Like, when you’re watching a big game on TV.

We hear there might be a super-big one coming up soon.

Strawberry, Spinach, and Feta Salad

Ginger-lime vinaigrette adds tingle to this summer starter

Our markets have local strawberries in abundance. Spinach too. So why not let them mix it up in a scrumptious salad?

We add feta cheese and almond slices for depth and texture. Plus ginger-lime vinaigrette for spicy sharpness. The results are delish.

Best of all, this salad is easy enough to make for a weeknight. And fancy enough for a weekend dinner party.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad with Balsamic Poppy-Seed Dressing

This seasonal starter says spring!

Ah, spring. Warmer weather. Tender fresh baby spinach. And strawberries!

Those two ingredients frolic like bunnies in this tasty – and gorgeous – salad. Then we toss them in balsamic vinaigrette (with poppy seeds) for even more perk.

It’s the perfect start to Easter dinner. Peeps ahoy!

Chickpea, Rice, and Spinach Salad

This Italian-style vegan salad makes a healthy starter or main course

Spring has arrived here in St Louis. Well, sort of. Daffodils are popping up, but we’re still having some raw days.

Which makes this the perfect time for hearty salads—the kind that use beans or other legumes. They’re protein-rich, so a generous serving makes a meatless main course. But they’re not so heavy that you couldn’t use a smaller serving as a starter, or even as a side dish.

Today’s hearty salad features chickpeas. But it’s also loaded with healthy produce: Fresh spinach, red bell pepper, and red onions. So it tastes like spring.

Asparagus and Spinach Salad

Prosciutto and poached egg add savor to springtime favorites

Springtime means fresh produce. That includes two of the year’s most anticipated treats: homegrown asparagus and spinach.

Both are abundant right now in the part of the US where we live. There’s terrific local asparagus from farmers’ markets. And spinach? Well, our backyard garden is producing a bumper crop.

Both asparagus and spinach are wonderful when served alone—but combining them in a salad makes for something special. Add some salty prosciutto and a poached egg, and voilà: a savory salad that you can serve as a small starter or a larger main course.

But hurry! The season for fresh local asparagus is short, and you don’t want to miss out. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until next year. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Spinach Salad with Parmesan

Freshly Grated Cheese Makes This Dish Sing

Although an elaborately constructed salad can be a great main course (think Salade Niçoise), most of us prefer to use salad as a light starter that sharpens the palate for the rest of the meal.

The best salads often have only a few well-chosen ingredients. Mixed together expertly, however, they can deliver a distinct, clear taste that lingers agreeably on the tongue.

A great example is this Spinach Salad — a simple dish that delivers superb flavor and takes only a few minutes to prepare.

Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing

This Easy Classic Takes Your Game to 11

This year, summer has been slow to arrive in many parts of the United States.  We’ve had some cool spring temperatures — prime growing weather for spinach.  Though hotter days are coming in now, there’s still time to fix a few more spinach salads before the season passes by.

If you haven’t paired spinach with hot bacon dressing for a while, now would be a great time.

And if you’ve never tried this combo, prepare to take your taste buds to 11.