Cascade Spinach Salad

Your body wants you to have this for dinner. If you can't/won't eat blue cheese, I suggest substituting whole roasted garlic cloves. Pecans would be just as good as hazelnuts. You can also get this for lunch or dinner at rebar. :)

vinaigrette:

1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
2 t red wine vinegar
1 t honey
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t minced rosemary
1/3 c olive oil

salad:

10 oz/300g spinach leaves, stemmed
1/2 small red onion, julienned
1/2 c/120ml crumbled blue cheese
1/4 c hazelnuts, skinned and roasted*

1. Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients, except the oil, in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking, until thick.

2. Just before serving, place the spinach leaves, red onion, hazelnuts and half of the blue cheese in a large salad bowl. In a small pot, gently heat the vinaigrette until it starts to simmer. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the spinach, tossing well. Divide among salad bowls, sprinkle with remaining crumbled blue cheese, extra hazelnuts and cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

* To make an easy job of skinning hazelnuts, add 2 c nuts to 4 c boiling water with 1/4 c baking soda. Blanch until the water turns black (3-5 mins). Rinse nuts in a colander under cold running water. The skins should slip right off. Dry in a clean kitchen towel and roast them in a 325F oven until golden and nutty-smelling.