Spinach Salad
1 large bowl of garden spinach
1 can mandarin oranges
3/4 cup dried cranberries
½ cup bacon bits
½ cup crumbled cheese (optional)
1/8 cup sliced almonds
Salad dressing:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp dried tarragon leaves
2 Tbsp orange juice
salt and pepper to taste
Notes: I use the Hormel bagged bacon bits from Sam's Club. They can be kept on the pantry shelf for a long time before opening them and refrigerating them. They are mostly meat, so the price per pound on bacon is actually less than I would spend buying that much bacon, even on sale.
I make this when the spinach is growing in my garden. If we don't have spinach but we have lettuce, I use lettuce instead!
The dressing recipe makes much more than you need for one time. I keep leftover dressing in the refrigerator. I find that the dressing is best served cold.
