There are endless variations to this salad listed in Simply in Season , and I chose the one that most appealed to me. The base is 4 C spinach (remove stems and tear into pieces) and 1 C strawberries. But you can use any kind of greens or sliced fruit.
To that I added some of the vinegared red onions that I made a few months ago and slivered almonds. Other ideas include
- bacon
- cheese
- nuts
- chilled blanched asparagus
- sunflower seeds
- garlic
See? It’s very versatile. If you buy the book, you’ll also get recipes for pineapple dressing, peanut dressing, and rhubarb dressing. This time around I chose the tw0-seed dressing.
Simply add 1/4 C honey, 2 T sesame seeds, 1 T poppy seeds, 1/4 C balsamic vinegar, 1/4 C olive oil, 1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp paprika, salt and pepper to taste in a jar and shake well. How easy is that?
The Verdict: I LOVED the freshness of the spinach, the sweetness of the first strawberries of the season, the crunch of the seeds and almonds, and sweetness and tang of the balsamic vinegar dressing and vinegared onions combined in both texture and flavor. DH added cheese to his, but I found it perfect without.
Kitchen Tip
With the arrival of salad season, I find myself making various homemade dressings. One thing I’m going to do this year is to label and date them! Last year I found myself going through the refrigerator and finding forgotten jars, wondering what the heck THAT is and how long it’s been in there.
This post linked to Frugal Food Thursday and Ultimate Recipe Swap
oh that salad looks delicious!
Mmmm….Looks and sounds delish. I have that same problem with my homemade dressings and marinades. Remember the peanut/soy dressing from Amy at the farm? That one keeps for literally months and is so good! I was the Fulton mkt yesterday and there were loads of fresh strawberries, but none were organic. Craigs list had an ad a few weeks ago from an organic strawberry farmer stating he would put it back up when his season began. Gotta give that another look-see. (Meijer always has them, but usually they are 2# for $5.)
oh yes, love that dressing! Kudos to you for holding out for the organic. I gave into temptation LOL.
The salad looks very tasty. Cheese is always a good thing. I will add crumbled goat cheese to mine.
I love strawberries in salads, and your dressing sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing it!
I love the combo of balsamic and strawberries…this sounds like the perfect Spring salad! Delicious =)
Oh this recipe is simply divine and thanks so much for sharing it at the Two for Tuesday Recipe Blog carnival! I know my daughter is going to love this! 🙂 Alex
I love that book! I practically have it on perma check out from the library. Do you toast the sesame seeds? I’m such a sucker for sesame seeds.
I did not toast them but that’s a great idea!
This salad looks so fresh and summery. It sounds wonderful right now in this heat! And I love your idea of labeling your dressings – I too have often found strange jars of who-knows-what hidden in the back of my fridge. I don’t know why I didn’t think to label them, but I will definitely have to start doing that. Thanks for the idea!