Wilted Spinach Chicken Salad with Lots of Tasty Bits

One of my very pet peeves is wasting food.  Though it seems that no matter how hard I might try, I consistently seem to have more food in the refrigerator than I can work into my meals.  This is especially true when in comes to vegetables.  Just recently, I had the best intentions to try out some new ways to eat brussel sprouts, despite my general dislike for them. I was even looking forward to enjoying them roasted with some sort of sweet and sour type glaze, so I bought a big bag and tucked it neatly into the vegetable drawer.  There the bag stayed until I just found them, unopened and well beyond their prime.  So, when I purchased a super sized bag of spinach greens at the supermarket this week, I was bound and determined not to waste one iron filled leaf.  I still have some left, but this wilted spinach salad was a great way to incorporate more spinach into your diet. 

Wilted Spinach Chicken Salad
1 cup shredded chicken
1/2 bag spinach 
thinly sliced sweet onion
1/4 cup cashew nuts (walnuts, pecans or other nut can be substituted)
1/4 cup dried cherries (raisins or cranberries can be substituted)
4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

In a skillet, saute mushrooms in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Add garlic and stir well to prevent garlic from burning.  Quickly add dried cherries and cashews to the pan and toss to combine.  Cook just long enough to warm the nuts and plump the cherries.  Set aside in a separate bowl for just a minute.  Add spinach to the hot pan and just toss to slightly wilt the spinach.  Add to a large salad bowl and top with mushrooms, cashews, cherries and onions.  Dress with blue cheese vinaigrette and enjoy. 

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
crumbled cooked quality blue cheese such as Maytag
salt and pepper

Combine honey with the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form and emulsion.  Stir in crumbled blue cheese.