A Salad Worth Celebrating

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I love salads, especially during the spring and summer months when fresh ingredients are plentiful and I find myself craving a lighter, more simplistic, fare. I’m also a big fan of healthy dishes that require little prep time, yet they still dress to impress. Bring on those last-minute cookouts and warm weather festivities!

Healthy + Simple + Delicious = A summertime WIN in my book.

This Berry Spinach Salad is that kind of dish. It takes minimal effort to prepare, is full of wholesome, healthy ingredients, and it shouts SUMMERTIME CELEBRATION!

Berry Salad Ingredients copy

Spinach and strawberries were among the bounty of last week’s Seasonal Roots basket, so I decided that this particular salad would be the perfect addition to our family’s Memorial Day dinner. Aside from its deliciousness, the colors fell right in line with the patriotic theme for a day of remembrance.

As with many of the recipes that I follow and share, this one is easily adaptable to your personal preferences or ingredients that you may already have on hand. Don’t have strawberries or blackberries? Blueberries or raspberries will work. Don’t like pecans? Give walnuts a try. No feta? No problem. I’m a fan of crumbled goat cheese, myself. Just don’t skip out on the Strawberry Lime Dressing. If you don’t already have all of the ingredients at home, it’s worth a quick run to your local grocer. Trust me on this one. You don’t want to miss out. It’s the cherry on top!

Berry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Lime Dressing

Salad Ingredients:

        spinach

        sliced strawberries

       blackberries

        ¼ red onion, thinly sliced

        ½ cup candied pecans *

       feta cheese or crumbled goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

        ½ cup chopped strawberries

        ¼ cup olive oil

        ¼ cup lime juice

        1 tablespoon poppy seeds

        1 tablespoon honey

        salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

  •     In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.
  •     Place all of the dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Drizzle over salad just before serving.

*For candied pecans: Place pecans, about 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt into a shallow pan over medium-high heat. Sautee for approximately 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until pecans are lightly toasted and syrup has caramelized. Remove from heat and spread pecans out on parchment paper to cool and harden.

Enjoy!

Berry Salad 2

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.