Cashews and pumpkin seeds give this Spinach Mushroom Salad its crunchy top.
I was looking for some lighter fare after the holidays and this salad fit the bill. With sturdy greens this makes for quite a filling salad.
You can use spinach or substitute any sturdy mix of greens such as baby kale, baby spinach and/or arugula.
I like to use white mushrooms for this salad. The mushrooms are raw and I find the white ones have a nice mild taste. But you can use our favorite mushroom as long as they are tender and not rubbery.
The onions – I like caramelized onions with the mushrooms but you could substitute thinly sliced red onions or even green onions and it will be even faster to make.
Cashews have a very distinct flavour, kind of sweet. But again -you could substitute the nuts of your choice.
If you don’t have pumpkin seeds you can substitute another seed topping of you choice. You can also use the commercial seedy salad toppings if you like.
The dressing is Balsamic with some bright lemon notes. Very tasty…
This will serve 4 people as a starter course or side salad. It would also serve 2 for a main course salad.
Wine Pairing for Crunchy Top Spinach Mushroom Salad
Mushroom can be a bit tricky to pair with but the fact they are raw makes it easier I think. A light red like a Pinot Noir or A Rhone GSM would go nicely. If the wine has a descriptor of mushrooms or forest floor it could work.
For a white wine I would go with a medium bodied wine like Chenin Blanc, white Rioja, Viognier for example.
Crunchy Top Spinach Mushroom Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups spinach or other robust greens
- 6 oz white mushroom caps cleaned and sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion Can substitute 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion.
- 16 grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews
- 2 Tbsps pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt Like Lowry's
Balsamic Dressing
- 2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsps Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsps Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Peel and slice onion. Cut onion rings in half. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes until onions are golden brown.
- While onions are cooking, clean and slice mushroom caps.
- Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.
- Spread greens on serving platter. Top evenly with mushroom slices and grape tomatoes.
- When onions are done remove them from the pan. Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet and sprinkle them with the seasoning salt. Cook them over medium heat about 4 minutes. Stir so they get coated with the residual oil/juice from the onions.
- Spread onions and pumpkin seeds evenly over the salad platter.
- Rough chop cashews and sprinkle over the salad.
- Drizzle dressing and serve.
Nutrition
