Salad with Spinach, Ham, Avocado and Pasta

Total time: 25 minutes
     This is a Spinach Salad rather than a Pasta Salad.  There is just a bit of pasta added for texture and to finish the meal. Use a thick slice of ham, either Prosciutto-type, or regular deli-ham. 

 Ingredients:

• 8oz ham, cooked, 230gr, 8.1oz
• 1 avocado, 170gr, 6oz
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 90gr, 3.2oz
• 6oz fresh spinach, 170gr, 6oz
• 1 tbs fresh snipped chives
• 1 tbs marjoram or oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese,  cheddar, 60gr, 2.2oz
• 3/4 cup dry, bite-size pasta, 68gr, 2.4oz
• White Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 1 tbs Dijon-style mustard, 15gr, .53oz
• 2 tbs white Balsamic vinegar, 30gr, 1oz
• 1 - 2 tbs Greek yogurt, 37.5gr, 1.3oz
• 4 - 5 tbs good olive oil, 54gr, 1.9oz

 Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• Make Vinaigrette:
• Place mustard, vinegar and yogurt, in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
• Slow add olive oil, whisking constantly, to combine. It should be thick and emulsified when finished.
• Slice ham into large strips.
• Sauté the ham if you like, set aside.
• Wash spinach if needed and spin dry.  Sort through the spinach, discarding any damaged leaves, cutting the large leaves in half.
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half.
• Cut avocado, slice it thickly, then cut into chunks.
• Snip/strip herbs.
• When pasta is done, drain but don't shake every last bit of water off.
• To assemble salad:
• Put spinach into a large bowl. Add hot, drained pasta and toss lightly to combine. (Tongs work best.)
• Add half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
• Add the ham, avocado, herbs and tomatoes, toss lightly.
• Taste and adjust vinaigrette, adding more if you like.
• Sprinkle with cheese and serve, any remaining vinaigrette on the side.

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Nutrition Information               Recipe serves 2            Entire Recipe / per serving Calories:  1722 / 861 Total Carbohydrates:  82 / 41           Dietary Fiber: 24 / 12 Total Fat:  126 / 63          Saturated Fat: 33 / 16.5 Cholesterol:  202 / 101 Protein:  72 / 36 Calcium:  782 / 391 Sodium:   3698 / 1849

General Technical Details and Disclaimer:

Measurements are actual measurements used for calculation. If there are no values the nutritional numbers were simply too small.

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

My information comes from my own digital, computerized scale
and the USDA Nutrient Data Library: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/