On the Eighth Day of Cooking/Baking

On the eighth day of cooking/baking, we are going to keep it simple.  If you want something festive looking and healthy, the Spinach Pomegranate Salad is just for you.  It takes little to no time to make and it looks great on the table!  Our baking recipe is a festive hard candy with a minty taste: Peppermint Bark Candy.  Enjoy!


Cooking Recipe: Spinach Pomegranate Salad Recipe (Courtesy of allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)
• 1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds separated
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Top with red onion, walnuts, feta, and sprouts. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top, and drizzle with vinaigrette.

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients

• 8 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
• 8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 25 peppermint candies, crushed

Directions: 

1. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch pan and line with waxed paper, smoothing out wrinkles; set aside.
2. Place the semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the peppermint extract. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the crushed peppermints over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.
3. Place the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy over the top and gently press in. Refrigerate until completely hardened. Remove from pan; break into small pieces to serve.