Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad

My husband and I have recently started harvesting vegetables from our tiny home garden. We're still waiting for green beans, tomatoes and zucchini, but we have tons of spinach, collard greens, and herbs. So last night I made a wonderful spinach salad from our home grown harvest.

Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
2 c Spinach
1/2 c sliced mushrooms ( I used cremini, oyster and button)
1/4 c chopped onions
1/4 c halved pecans
1/4 c sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes (see oven dried tomato recipe below)
1/2 T olive oil

Dressing:
3 T balsamic
3 T olive oil
1/2 t brown sugar
1 t seeded mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat a saute pan to medium and add olive oil
Saute mushrooms and onions until golden
While mushrooms saute, whisk all ingredients for dressing
Place spinach in bowl and add mushroom mix while hot so spinach slightly wilts
Add tomatoes, pecans and toss with dressing

Note:
I called the tomatoes in this salad sun-dried but they are actually oven-dried. Oven drying tomatoes is a great thing to do with tomatoes that are on the edge of going bad; just at that wrinkled stage, if there is any rot present, they're toast. Keep in mind the drying process is low and slow so it can take 8-10 hours. I put them in an hour or 2 before I go to bed and just turn off the heat and let them sit in the warmth of the oven until I wake up.

Ingredients:

3 Tomatoes

1 T olive oil

Pinch Salt

Cooking spray

Parchment paper or tin foil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Place parchment on cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray

Slice each tomato in 6 or 7 slices and place on parchment

Brush with olive oil

Sprinkle with salt

Cook for 1-2 hours then turn off heat (if they still look plump after an hour keep in longer)

Keep in oven 6-8 hours longer with heat off

These keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. I put them in an old mason jar with extra olive oil.