Spinach- Orange and Almond Salad

Greg and I eat a salad every night for dinner, and I usually take the left overs for lunch the next day. Thus, I have become quite adept at creating salads that a sure to please even the most discerning palate (mine) and I would never want Greg to become bored with his nightly offering of loving goodness! Behold, a salad that if topped with a bit of protein (I'm thinking a medium poached egg) and served with a couple slices of well-toasted artisan bread spread with a touch of butter, could be the meal to end all meals....or at least, a nice addition to a manly side of 'meat'.

Dressing:

Equal parts freshly squeezed lemon juice and Rice Wine Vinegar

a couple spoonfuls of filtered water

half as much oil; either Grapeseed or Olive

1 T. powdered mustard

1 T. prepared mustard

1 T. honey, slightly heated

Good quality sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

Big bunch freshly washed spinach; dried

Handful of fresh cilantro- I pick the leaves off and discard the stems; tedious but worth the effort

1 thinly sliced red or yellow bell pepper (not green)

1 sweet orange peeled and segmented; casings removed

1 large cucumber peeled, halved then sliced

handful of black olives; halved

4 to 5 dollops of low-fat feta or goat cheese

small palmful of raw almonds per serving

1/4 to 1/2 red onion ***optional

1 egg, poached medium ***optional