Now, this is a salad which you first devour with your eyes, its so colorful, the red from the strawberries mixed in with the greens. It’s a starter to salad skeptics. Sweet berries, toasted pecans, creamy goat cheese/feta, and a lovely honey balsamic basil dressing make for an easy transition to leafy greens, even if salad isn’t usually something you typically pile willingly onto your plate.
This salad dressing is just so tasty, Balsamic and strawberry are divine together. Strawberries mixed with balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey and basil, I could just keep licking the plate till I get every drop of it!
Key Salad Ingredients
Lettuce leaves: I like to use a mix of lettuce leaves for color and different texture. Or you could also use baby spinach leaves, spinach and strawberries are classic together and an excellent choice. For a peppery twist, try using a blend of half arugula, half spinach.
Strawberries: Buy the juiciest, ripest fruit you can find. To change it up, try mixing in any combination of blueberries, raspberries, dried cranberries, or mandarin oranges.
Toasted Pecans: The necessary crunchy element that no good salad should be without. Not into pecans? Try swapping slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. Whatever nuts you choose, be absolutely sure to toast them first—it makes them crisp and 1,000x more flavorful.
Working around a nut allergy? Try toasted sunflower seeds.
Goat cheese/Feta: Whether you choose feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese, buy a block of it (or in the case of goat cheese, one of those cute little logs), and crumble it yourself.
Red Onion: To give this healthy strawberry spinach salad a friendly bite and keep it from being too sweet. When you are using red onions raw like in this salad recipe, soak them in water with a little salt first. This preserves the onions’ flavor but removes the harsh aftertaste.
Here's a short video on making this delicious salad https://youtu.be/XZTg1h4CUw4
Lettuce and Strawberry salad
Prep time: 20 mins
Serving: 6 ppl
Ingredients:
For the lettuce Strawberry salad:
2 cups mixed lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1 cup iceberg lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 cup strawberry, sliced
1/2 cup raw pecans
1 red onion, thinly sliced
About 100g of goat cheese or 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
For the dressing:
2 pieces Strawberry, chopped small
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped basil
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tsp dijon mustard
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 180C/350 F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, take them out, cool. Chop roughly keep aside.
Dissolve 1/2 Tsp of salt in some water in a bowl add the sliced red onion to this. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad (this keeps their flavor but removes the harsh onion bite).
Take a clean bottle/mason jar with a tight fitting lid and prepare the dressing: add the vinegar, oil, chopped basil, chopped strawberry, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper shake the ingredients together till well combined.
Assemble the salad: Place the lettuce in a great big serving bowl. Add the strawberries. Drain the red onion and add it as well. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves. Add the goat/feta cheese and toasted pecans. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side as desired.
