This summer the favorite to go salad is the Spinach and Strawberries. They are are classic together and perfectly balancing each other. For extra kick I like to add some arugula, give you this peppery taste, which i love. Add some toasted pecans for crunchiness, dry cranberries and delicious blue cheese and you have your winner. If you like you can add red onion. This salad is perfect for large gatherings. You can make it way in a advance and keep it in the fridge, add the dressing before serving time.
Make sure after you drees the salad to consume right away, otherwise the spinach will welted and gets very soggy.
What make this salad delicious and healthy is the using of fresh raw ingredients- spinach, strawberries and pecans, but also the dressing. Instead using a creamy dressing this salad calls for mustard vinaigrette. The combination of honey, apple cyder vinaigrette and mustard is mouth watering. This dressing is super easy to make and it is contained ingredients from your pantry that you can make now.
In other words, this salad is the perfect combination of texture and flavor and perfect for the hot summer days. Also you can make this salad a main course just with adding protein such as grill shrimp, chicken or pan seared Salmon.
You Need:
| Fresh Baby Spinach | 10 Oz. | |||
| Fresh Strawberries | 1 quart or( 1 pound) | |||
| Blue Cheese Crumbles | 3/4 cup | |||
| Roasted Pecans | 3/4 | |||
| Dry Cranberries | 1/4 cup |
You Need:
For The Mustard Vinaigrette
| Olive Oil | 3-4 Tbsp. | |||
| Apple Cyder Vinegar | 1/ 4 cup | |||
| Honey | 1-2 Tbsp. | |||
| Whole Grain Dijon Mustard | 2 Tbsp. | |||
| Salt and Black Pepper | 1/ 8 Tsp. |
Instructions:
Prepare the dressing: In small mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients—vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper—until well combined. (Alternatively, you can shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid). Keep it in a fridge if you are making it in a advance, If you using it immediately just keep it at room temperature.
Wash the spinach and use salad spinner to dry the leaves. Wash and sliced the strawberries on quarters.
Assemble the salad: Place the spinach in a great big serving bowl. Add the strawberries, toasted pecans, dry cranberries and the blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves. Toss lightly to combine. Assess the amount of dressing. You want the spinach leaves to be nicely moistened but not swimming in dressing. Add a little more if needed to suit your preferences. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side as desired.
If you are not eating the salad right away, its important to know that if you add the dressing, the salad will wilted. Dress the salad a shortly before you are ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Equipment you may find helpful!