Spinach salad contains smart fat

Dear Recipe Doctor: I am hoping you can show me what to do with this spinach salad made with peaches, pecans and poppy seed dressing. The dressing alone calls for 1 cup of corn oil! We like to make it for warm summer suppers.

A: Spring has officially sprung in my corner of the country… although I keep waiting to see the bounty of that wonderful spring produce (and the lower prices) at my supermarket. So, I figured it was time to test this fruity spinach salad sent by a reader from Virginia.

The salad fixings all look great – baby spinach, sliced peaches, and pecans – except 1 1/2 cups pecans for 8 servings (according to the original recipe) seemed a bit nutty, pardon the pun. So, I brought it down to 1 cup. The dressing, however, was almost all oil (1/2 cup), so I cut it in half and added in two tablespoons of honey (in place of 3 tablespoons sugar) and 3 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream. I also decreased the vinegar by a tablespoon because the acidic tasting vinegar will be more noticeable in a lower-fat dressing.

Don’t be alarmed by the amount of fat grams, it is a seemingly higher fat salad but the fat is coming from the pecans and the canola oil, both of which boast the smart fats, monounsaturated fat with some plant omega-3s sprinkled in.

The original recipe contains 330 calories and 29 grams of fat per serving.

Spinach Salad with Peaches, Pecans and Poppy Seed Dressing

If you would rather, you could add a cup of spinach to 8 salad bowls and top evenly with the peaches and pecans. Then drizzle a generous tablespoon-worth of dressing over each serving.

8 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and dried

1 cup pecans halves or pieces, toasted (or use the already flavored and toasted pecans available in some supermarkets in the dressing or produce sections)

4 ripe peaches, sliced (sliced or chopped canned peaches can be substituted)

Poppy Seed Dressing:

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard

1 teaspoon grated sweet or mild onion (1/4 teaspoon dried minced onion - like Onion Plus can be substituted)

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Add spinach, pecans, and peaches to a large bowl.

Add all of the dressing ingredients (except the poppy seeds) to a blender, food processor or small mixing bowl and process (or beat on medium-high) for about 15-20 seconds. Stir in poppy seeds.

Drizzle dressing over the top of salad ingredients in bowl and toss gently.

Note: Toast pecans by laying the pecans in a single layer in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, stirring them often until they just begin to darken. Or you can arrange pecans on a baking sheet and roast in a 350-degree oven for about 7 minutes, until they just begin to darken.

Yield: 8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 210 calories, 14 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 60 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, 1 milligram cholesterol, 4.5 grams fiber, 174 milligrams sodium.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 4.