Zea's Copycat part III

Now it is finally time for the entree! And it is Zea's famous pepper jelly spinach salad. I started with going by the local grocer and picking up a bottle of Zea's pepper jelly vinaigrette. The bottle includes the recipe on back. This makes the shopping trip a little easier but I found still the most difficult part. There a lot ingredients in this recipe that I did not keep on hand. (I do now just for this recipe)
3-4 entree sized salads

6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons roasted pecans
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbles (for garnish)
5 kalamata olives (for garnish)
8 oz of grilled chicken.
I altered the recipe by leaving out the olives and cheese and adding the chicken.



I started by grilling and then slicing the chicken. Then I turned my attention to the pecans and sesame seeds. I found the toasting and roasting was critical to get the right flavor. After that it is just assembly. Add everything together except the Spinach leaves. Leave them separate. Otherwise they will wilt and become a mess I would suggest mix and toss only what you will eat in one sitting. I like my dressing mixture warm and the leaves to be nice and cool. The dressing mixture can last about a week in the fridge just microwave it to warm and mix with leaves for leftovers.