Recipe: Cured Ham Spinach Salad with Feta and Melon

Here is a quick lunch or dinner idea for those warm summer months.  Preparation and clean up are fast and easy, too!  The combination of the sweet melon and salty ham are a nice contrast to wake up your taste buds while providing you with a refreshing, nutritious summer meal.

Utensils:

Cutting board

Knife

Serving dish or tupperware container

Ingredients:

2-3 cups of spinach

4-5 slices of cured Spanish ham (I prefer to use Serrano Spanish ham for this salad; an alternative would be Italian prosciutto if you cannot find Serrano Spanish ham)

5-6 bite size chunks of honeydew melon (cantaloupe works, too)

1/4 cup of feta cheese (or as desired)

1/8 cup pine nuts or walnuts (as desired)

Steps: 

1. Cut the melon into chunks, and preserve the rest in a tupperware container.
2. Peel the ham apart so that each slice is a bit stringy and so that the ham does not clump together in one place in the salad. 
3. Combine the spinach, melon, and ham in a serving dish (or tupperware for those on the go!).  Think of combining the ingredients as placing one layer of ingredients on top of another:  spinach, melon, and ham (preferably in that order) so that they do not stick together.
4. Garnish with the feta and pine nuts or walnuts as desired (optional).  Enjoy!

Serves:  One person

Season of consumption:  Summer

© 2016 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.

First image above:  Shutterstock.

Recipe: Turkey Burger with Feta and Spinach

This super simple meal idea works for lunch or dinner, and it can even be made gluten-free by removing the bread or substituting wheat-flour buns for gluten-free ones.  Pair with a sweet potato for a balanced meal of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.  Buen provecho!

Utensils:

Frying pan

Spatula

Ingredients:

Two turkey burger patties

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup feta cheese

1 generous pour of extra virgin olive oil (light)

Salt and pepper to taste

Steps: 

1. Lightly coat the bottom of the frying pan with a generous pour of light extra virgin olive oil, and allow the oil to warm on low heat.
2. Cook the turkey burger patties on the low heat, and flip the patties sparingly.
3. Remove the turkey burger patties from the heat once fully cooked, and allow them to cool.
4. Once the patties have mostly cooled, garnish each with feta first and then spinach, and serve immediately.

Serves:  Two people

Season of consumption:  All

First image above:  Shutterstock.

© 2016 Melanie Glover. All rights reserved.