Recipe: Greek Salad with Mild Red-Chili Dressing (food processor)

GREEK SALAD WITH MILD RED-CHILI DRESSING

"I love this salad because of all the prominent tastes in the dressing. Here, the dressing is tossed with fresh spinach leaves and topped with crumbly and tangy feta cheese, but you can toss this dressing on any mixed-green combination or vegetables and it would taste excellent!"

FOR THE CITRUS AND MILD RED-CHILI DRESSING:
8 sun-dried tomatoes (dried in a package, not in oil)
3/4 cup hot purified water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, or 1/4 cup apple juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon natural soy sauce (such as tamari), or low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and stems removed (about 9 cups)
3 ounces feta cheese, finely cubed
Freshly ground black pepper
GARNISH:
12 Kalamata olives, pitted
1/8 cup toasted sunflower seeds*

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in the bowl of hot water for 20-30 minutes until they become soft and plump.

Pour the water and the tomatoes into a food processor and process until blended. Pour in all the remaining dressing ingredients and continue to process until creamy. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.

Toss the spinach leaves together with the dressing until the leaves are completely coated. Sprinkle in the feta cheese and pepper and serve. Garnish each salad with 2 olives and a dash of sunflower seeds.

*TIP FROM ROSIE'S KITCHEN
Toast your own sunflower seeds by placing them in a medium saut pan over low heat for 1 minute until browned.

Serves 6

Per serving: Calories 374.7, Fat 18 g, Saturated fat 3.9 g (38.7% of calories from fat), Protein 15.5 g, Carbohydrate 49.3 g, Cholesterol 13 mg, Fiber 11.5 g

Excerpted from The Healthy Kitchen by Andrew Weil, M.D., and Rosie Daley
Copyright 2002 by Andrew Weil, M.D., and Rosie Daley. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.