Skip to main content

A Sweet Little Summer Salad: Mixed Greens with Strawberries, Sugared Almonds, Feta and Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

Okay, so I know it's not Summer yet...hell, it's just barely beginning to look like Spring around here...but this is such a tasty little salad that I had to share so you can enjoy it all Spring and Summer long.

Here's the thing with salads, for me: I love a great salad when I'm out at a restaurant, but most of the salads I make at home are just "fine." I think I've finally figured out why. Store-bought salad dressing generally sucks. And every salad should have some sort of toasted or candied nut on it. I think that might be it.

Here's something else I just learned: making incredibly yummy homemade salad dressing is ridiculously easy! I don't think I'm stretching the truth when I say I do not plan to buy bottled salad dressing ever again. I have had three different homemade dressings in the last month and all were both easy and DELICIOUS.

So this little ditty I'm sharing with you today is a fabulous mix of flavors...strawberries + sugared almonds + feta = flavor party in your mouth. Seriously. And it's so simple...though you will have to bust-out the food processor or blender for the dressing. Most dressings you can do with just a bowl and a whisk, but this one has actual pureed strawberries in it. Trust me, it's worth the effort. So, here you go...you can thank me later.


Strawberry Salad with Sugared Almonds (adapted from simplebites.net)
Salad greens (Your choice. I used romaine hearts, but you could do mixed greens or baby spinach)
1 c. sliced strawberries
1/2 c. sliced almonds
2-3 tbsp sugar
Crumbled feta (I used low-fat feta)
Strawberry poppyseed dressing (see below)

To prepare the sugared almonds, heat small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sugar and almonds. Cook and stir until nuts are golden and coated with the melted sugar. Spread on foil to cool. (Note: When I served the almonds on the salads, they had "set" in little clumps, so I crumbled the clumps a bit as I sprinkled them on the salads.) Fill bowls with salad greens and top with strawberries, sugared almonds and feta, then drizzle with dressing.


Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 c. canola oil
3/4 c. sliced strawberries
3/4 tsp poppyseeds

Place vinegar, sugar, salt and ground mustard in blender and pulse to mix. Slowly drizzle in oil while mixing. Then add sliced strawberries and mix until combined and creamy. Finally, add poppyseeds and mix again to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Enjoy! And, until next time, happy cooking!


(Note: Thanks to simplebites.net for the food photo, since I forgot to take one.)


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad…I am so in love!

Here's a great little summer dish. A perfect side for whatever you've thrown on the grill. A great dish to pass for that neighborhood BBQ. A lovely salad to just make up and leave in the fridge for easy lunches on a hot day. It's Ramen Noodle Salad. Now, I'm not sure this dish actually qualifies as clean eating, despite the word "salad" in it's name…what with the ramen noodles and the seasoning packet. But it is so seriously good that I could have eaten the ENTIRE giant bowl of it. Seriously. When I made it last week I could not stop eating it. It might actually be a little addictive. So, don't say I didn't warn you... Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad 2 pkg uncooked ramen noodles 2.5 oz sliced almonds (or just a big handful) 3/4 c. sunflower seeds 1/2 c. finely chopped onion (whatever kind you have) 1 bag broccoli slaw 2 ramen noodle seasoning packets 3/4 c. oil (use what you like; I used canola oil) 1/2 c. white vinegar 1/3 c. sugar ...
7 comments
Read more

OMG Honey Mustard Pretzel-Crusted Chicken...So Good!

I made this chicken last weekend when we had family in visiting...this drives my husband nuts when I try out new recipes when we have guests...just because one little time dinner turned out awful! (Seriously, it was barely edible. Oops!) I say, this is the occasional price we pay for wonderful food exploration! And this Honey Mustard Pretzel-Crusted Chicken is a fantastic example of just that! It. Was. Delish.  So here you have it...tasty AND company-worthy! (My 4 year old loved it too...I mean, who doesn't love pretzels and honey mustard!) Honey Mustard Pretzel-Crusted Chicken   (from cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com) 4 c. hard sourdough pretzels, coarsely crushed 1/2 c. olive oil 1/2 c. Dijon mustard 1/3 c. honey 1/4 c. water 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (or other mild vinegar...I used white wine because it's what I had on hand) coarse salt and black pepper 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set wire rack (like oven-safe co...
7 comments
Read more

30 Days to a New Me: Danette May's 30 Day New You Challenge Review

 A little more than 30 days ago I was in despair. If you read my last post, you already know that I found myself in a post holiday/start of a new year funk. And I knew that a big part of that funk had to do with how I was (or in this case, wasn't) taking care of myself. I had let the holiday season take over my life and my better judgment. I had given up good eating and exercise habits. I had stopped writing. I hadn't had a moment to myself. It was not good. But one part of where I was mentally, emotionally and physically wasn't just holiday backlash. It was part of a bigger problem. Since we moved to our current home over three years ago, I had gained weight. A lot of weight, for me. (As of January 1, I weighed the most I had ever weighed outside of pregnancy.) I had tried many, many times to lose that weight, as I was gaining it, over the last few years. I used the same methods I had always successfully used to lose/maintain weight or increase fitness--stepping ...
15 comments
Read more