Salad, Soup, and Sandwich

It’s been a little longer than I expected it to be – my apologies.

Hare here. I got sick not long after posting the Swiss Steak Café recipe. Then I went home for a weekend, and then work got busy, and life got busy for a bit – at any rate, I’m back.

And I make my return with more requested recipes – today I drop off a salad and a sandwich and a soup to make up for the lack of updates on my part.

I don’t know that I’d recommend serving all of these together, per se, but they do sound tasty.

Spinach Salad With Chicken and Fruit

Serves 4 to 6

6 cups fresh spinach (about 8 ounces)
¼ cup salad oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
1 11 ounce can mandarin oranges, chilled and drained
1 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey, or two 5 ounce cans chunk style chicken, drained and flaked
2 cups strawberry halves or cantaloupe cubes

Rinse and tear spinach. Cover and store in refrigerator.

For dressing, in a screw top jar combine oil, red wine vinegar, orange juice, mustard, and poppy seeds. Cover and shake well. Chill up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, in a large salad bowl combine spinach, orange sections, chicken, and strawberries or cantaloupe. Shake dressing and drizzle over salad: toss to coat.

Hot Apple and Cheese Sandwich

Serves 4

1 medium apple
4 English muffins, split
2 tablespoons creamy Dijon-style mustard
4 slices Canadian bacon
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon margarine or butter

Core the apple and slice crosswise, forming rings. Spread mustard on one side of muffin halves

To assemble, top 4 muffin halves with a slice of bacon, 1 or 2 apple rings, a slice of cheese, and the remaining muffin halves. Spread margarine lightly on the outside of each sandwich.

Heat a large skillet or griddle. Cook sandwiches over medium low heat about 5 minutes, or till toasted. Turn and cook 4 to 5 minutes more or until toasted and cheese starts to melt.

Sausage Vegetable Soup

Serves 8

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
2 14 to 15 ounce cans beef or vegetable broth
2 14 to 15 ounce cans Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 ½ cups water
1 15 ounce can cannelline or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 3 cups)
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic, or 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

In a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, cook sausage till crumbly and browned. Drain off the fat.

Add broth, undrained tomatoes, water, beans, potatoes, celery, onion, and garlic. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes. Stir in zucchini and boil soup for 5 minutes more.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

The soup (or any leftovers) can be frozen for up to three months. To do so, remove the soup from the heat immediately after adding the zucchini and allow it to cool, then transfer to freezer containers (a pair of 2 quart containers are recommended). When you’re ready to serve, transfer one portion of soup to a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally to break up the mixture.