Shrimp and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Viniagrette

Pin It Sorry for the delay in posting.  I've had some hail storm/car damage issues to deal with.  But no worries.  All is well and now I can get back to normal life.  Now that the weather is warm I like to eat more salads.  Number 1 to be healthy and number 2 to have lighter meals.  But don't worry, just because this is a salad doesn't meal it won't fill you up.  The warm dressing wilts the spinach just enough, the shrimp adds some protein and the onions and peppers add nice color. This is a great light dinner or you could make smaller servings as an impressive start to a meal.

Shrimp and Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Viniagrette
1 lb bag baby spinach
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 c roasted red peppers, diced
6 strips bacon, cubed
1/2 cup rice  vinegar (white vinegar would work too)
4 tsp sugar **or to taste
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 lb shrimp
garlic salt
pepper

1. Cut bacon with kitchen scissors into small cubes.  Place in a small saucepan and fry until bacon is cooked, stirring frequently.
2. Remove bacon and allow to cool on a paper towel.  Leave bacon grease in pan and remove from heat.
3. CAREFULLY add vinegar, sugar and mustard to pan. (It will bubble and sizzle) Season with salt and pepper.Whisk to combine.  Warm over low heat for 2 minutes.  Place dressing in a serving dish.
4. Sprinle shrimp with garlic salt and add to the same pan that the dressing was in.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until pink.
5. Assemble salad with spinach topped with peppers, onions, shrimp and bacon crumbles.  Drizzle dressing on top.
6. Salad tastes best when you allow the dressing to wilt the spinach a bit.  I usually pour it on and then get my drink or rest of my meal ready and it is perfect.

Wine Bar Sliders

Pin It Albert and I frequent the local wine bar.  In addition to their great wine selection, they have quite a tasty menu.  Last time we went we had sliders and they were fantastic.  They were so good in fact that I decided to recreate them for dinner later that week.  I have to say these turned out quite well.  Juicy burgers topped with melted gruyere, crispy bacon, red onions and roasted red peppers on a bakery fresh bun.  What more could you want?  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Wine Bar Sliders
* makes 6
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp steak seasoning
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
3 strips of bacon, cooked
gruyere cheese (enough for 6 slider sized slices)
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 large roasted red pepper, cut into short strips (I buy them in a jar)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp basil pesto (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)
olive oil
6 rolls (we used bakery dinner rolls)

1. Mix ground beef and seasonings together.  Form into 6 sliders and grill.
2. Meanwhile, brown onions and red peppers with olive oil in a skillet.  It only takes about 3 minutes.
3. Mix mayo and basil together.
4. Top burgers with cheese for the last few minutes of cooking.  Cover and let the steam melt the cheese.
5. Spread basil mayo on buns, top with a burger.  Top burger with onions, peppers and bacon.  Enjoy!

**you can substitute your favorite cheese if you can't find gruyere.  We just like how it melts and the mild taste that doesn't overpower the other ingredients.