Spinach Avocado Salad with Warm Caramelized Onion Balsamic Reduction and Maple Sugared Almonds

Okay, so this is my first recipe post and I don’t want you all to go “Wow, a salad- how original for a vegan- yawn” but really this is an amazing salad and it was by request. After our trip out of town this past weekend Paul‘s stomach was really off and he was in need of a large dose of dark leafy greens and he’s not too into a giant bowl of kale so I came up with this! 

I am going to apologize now for the bad photos, at this point I am using my phone to take them and the lighting and my phone camera isn't the greatest!! Sorry!!

I plated this salad individually and it made two huge meal size portions and two smaller ones for the boys. You could plate this as four hearty portions for sure! The dressing is served warm, it’s sweet, savory and thick, more of a reduction so the flavor is potent and it is easiest to drizzle it over top already plated than make a giant family style bowl full.

First off I made the Maple Sugared Almonds. They are so easy to make and literally take 5 minutes. Place the almonds into a non-stick frying pan over medium low heat. Add the maple syrup and stir frequently. The maple syrup will thicken and the almonds will begin to stick together and then after another minute the syrup will start to crystalize and become opaque and when the almonds look like they are coated in sugar they are done. Remove and set aside on parchment paper to cool.

Second is to cut a large onion and caramelize it over low heat in 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a dash of sea salt. You want the onion to cook down, turn a golden brown colour and taste sweet. It takes about 15 minutes of cooking to get to this stage.

Meanwhile you can wash all your spinach, mushrooms and grape tomatoes. Finely chop the red onion and peel and chop an avocado. I don’t usually use white mushrooms but I really like the flavor of them raw in this salad. I plated the spinach and sliced about two large mushrooms for each plate, sprinkled a teaspoon or two of the red onion over top, though I didn’t do this for the boys’ salad. I placed a handful of grape tomatoes on each plate and a quarter of the avocado. Now we can go back and finish the warm dressing.

To the caramelized onions, still over low heat,  I added the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, apple juice and agave and reduced it down till thick, about 5 minutes. 

Drizzle the reduction over the plated salads and top with maple almonds. Enjoy!!

Recipe:

Spinach Avocado Salad with Warm Caramelized Onion Balsamic Reduction and Maple Sugared Almonds (Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)

Makes 4 large servings

·         Large bunch of spinach

·         8-10 large mushrooms, sliced

·         3 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion

·         ½ cup grape tomatoes

·         1 large avocado, peeled and chopped

·         Caramelized Onion and balsamic reduction- recipe follows

·         ½ cup of Maple Sugared Almonds- recipe follows

Wash spinach and divide among four plates. Wash and chop mushrooms, onions,  tomatoes and finely avocado and arrange  on top of spinach. Drizzle each plate with a quarter of the warm caramelized onion and balsamic reduction and top with 2 Tbsps. Maple sugared almonds. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Maple Sugared Almonds:

·         ½ cup heaping raw Almonds

·         2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup

Place almonds and maple syrup in non-stick frying pan over medium low heat, stiring frequently cook until the maple syrup becomes thick and then begins to turn opaque and almonds become coated in crystallized syrup and no longer stick to each other, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool on parchment paper until ready to use.

Warm Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Reduction:

·         1 Large onion chopped medium

·         1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

·         5 Tbsp. Apple Juice

·         3 Tbsp. Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar

·         1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

·         1 tsp. Agave Syrup

Sauté the onion in olive oil over medium to low heat.  Stir frequently and cook until almost all the onions have browned and are caramelized and sweet. This will take approximately 15 minutes. Once onions have caramelized, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir until mixture thickens and is reduced by about a third. Remove from heat and use immediately.