Hearty Pita Spinach Salad

I flagged this recipe back in the summer. I found it in the June/July issue of Simple & Delicious Magazine. I just got around to making it Monday. It is very, very good! I did use a spinach and arugula blend instead of just spinach. I also used olive oil cooking spray to prepare the pita strips. I will be making pita chips soon. They were so good. This recipe also gave me the opportunity to try a Greek Dressing recipe I saw on Pinterest. The recipe comes from Cooking on Clover Lane. It is really good. I found it could use some salt but left it out because the salad had feta and olives. Wise move. The combination of everything is just perfect. So fight the urge to add additional salt. You will not need it. Definitely a recipe I will make over and over.

By the way, the beautiful new placemat is courtesy of my dear sister. Isn't she sweet!

Hearty Pita Spinach Salad

Adapted from: Simple & Delicious Magazine

4 Servings

Ingredients

2 whole pita breads

olive oil cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3/4 pound ground beef

3/4 cup Greek dressing, divided (recipe below)

1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach and arugula

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

4 ounces feta cheese, cubed

1 cup pitted Greek olives

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Cut pita breads into strips; arrange in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Spray strips with olive oil spray, and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes or until crisp, turning once.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add 1/4 cup dressing. Arrange spinach and arugula on four individual plates; top with a fourth of the tomatoes, cheese, olives, onion and beef mixture. Drizzle remaining dressing over salads. Serve immediately with toasted pita strips on top.

Yield: 4 servings.

Greek Dressing

Adapted from: Cooking on Clover Lane

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1-1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1-1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. Dijon-style mustard

Directions

Mix together and shake well. Store in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator. Set out before serving, the olive oil tends to separate and get solid. Shake well and serve.

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