Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad {IHCC's new chef--Donna Hay}

It's not often that I can consider a salad a meal.
And by often, I mean, well, mostly never.

Nothing against salad.  I like salad.  We have salad in some form regularly throughout the week.
But salad is served before the meal.  Not as the meal.

As was the case here.

And that was a bit of a mistake because Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad from Donna Hay is filling and interesting enough to stand on its own.

It's the bacon.  And the beans.  Together, unexpectedly, in a salad.

Review:
I like homemade honey mustard dressing and make it often.  Donna Hay's version includes water instead of my usual apple cider or white wine vinegar.  The water worked...nice to know incase I'm out of vinegar.  I did season the dressing with black pepper.

The original recipe calls for arugula, which can't be found here.  I used spinach--my favorite vegetable.  I also added shaved carrot for some extra crunch and color.

I thought the salad was good.  The bacon and honey mustard pairing was especially good, making for a sweet, salty, tangy, crispy dish.  The Husband also liked it.  The Boy remarked that the beans were cold and he left them in the bottom of his bowl.
But don't worry.  He was able to find every speck of bacon.


There's a new chef in town.  I Heart Cooking Clubs is now cooking the recipes of Donna Hay.  See the IHCC site for more details.


The original recipe can be found HERE.


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My version:
Crispy Honey Mustard Bacon Salad
adapted from Donna Hay

for the dressing:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon water
2-3 grinds black pepper

for the salad:
7 slices hickory smoked bacon
approx. 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 carrot, peeled and shaved with a vegetable peeler
1 (14 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 heaping Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cups fresh spinach leaves


Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy.  Drain on paper towels then break into pieces.  Toss the tomatoes, carrot, beans, parsley, and spinach together in a large bowl.  Pour in about half of the dressing and toss again.  Serve the salad on 2-3 plates for dinner portions or 4 plates for side salads.  Divide the bacon among the plates and drizzle with the remaining dressing.