Wilted Spinach Salad

Here's an old fashioned recipe with fresh spinach, boiled eggs and a vegetarian substitute for bacon drippings. Worthington Stripples or Morning Star Veggie-Breakfast Bacon Strips and the oil you cook them in make an excellent substitute for bacon drippings such as our grandmothers used in their "salad".  It can be partially prepared the previous day and all you need is to heat up the dressing just before serving. It's actually quite good and an unusual salad for potluck.  

Ingredients:

• 6 cups spinach, washed, drained very well and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1⁄4 cup sliced green onion
• 3 hardboiled egg, coarsely chopped
• 5 slices Stripples, cooked and chopped
• 1⁄4 cup red vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Combine spinach, onions and eggs in a large salad bowl.
2. Cook Stripples/Breakfast Strips in skillet until crispy; remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of oil you cooked the Stripples in.
4. Add vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the oil and heat to boiling, while stirring to blend evenly.
5. When ready to serve, pour over spinach mixture and toss gently.
6. Sprinkle salad with Stripple/breakfast strip crumbles. 

Serving Suggestions:

Put the eggs, fresh spinach and green onions in a large Tupperware bowl and seal it up.  Set aside the cooked vege-bacon and go ahead and boil the sauce. Set it aside in a small sealed container. When you get to potluck, open up the greens, heat the sauce in the microwave until warm and pour it over the greens, onions and eggs mix. Crumble the crisp vegebacon over top of the salad and serve.

It's actually quite good and worth the effort of doing the last minute prep work.

© 2017 by Tom King