When the weather warms up and the flowers are blooming, my tastes turn to salads. Who doesn’t love a fresh spinach salad with strawberries, feta cheese, and toasted pecans? Or maybe goat cheese and blueberries with a lemon vinaigrette?
Spinach with berries or fruit and a tangy dressing make a beautiful salad for your backyard get together or a picnic in the park and I’ve made it easy for you with my Summer Spinach Salad Cheater’s Chart.
Start with a bowl of fresh spinach and add one or more items from each column and you’ve got yourself a crowd pleaser with minimal effort. Voila, salad success!
Add the dressing right before serving and enjoy.
If you don’t like or can’t get fresh spinach, substitute romaine, arugula, escarole or kale. To make it even easier, buy a pre-washed, bagged spring mix at your local market.
Peaches and nectarines go wonderfully. Slice or dice them but you don’t need to peel them.
I highly recommend that you toast the nuts. Toasting intensifies their flavors and makes them crunchier. Toast your nuts a day or two ahead if you like and store them in a sealed container.
To toast nuts add them to a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or spread them out in an even layer on a sheet pan and place in a 350 oven for 6 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they burn easily.
Sliced red onion is a wonderful addition to almost any spinach and fruit salad. Here’s the trick: soak the onion slices in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes to take away their bite before adding them to your salad. Your breath will thank me.
Add other ingredients as they come into season: avocados, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, green onions, seedless grapes, bell peppers, sliced apples or pears, cilantro, parsley, etc. See what’s ripe and ready at the farmers’ market or look around your pantry. Dried cranberries or mandarin oranges make a wonderful substitute for fresh fruit if you’re in a pinch.
How to Make Salad Dressing in a Jiffy
To make any of these dressings, add all ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake for 10 seconds. Could it be any easier? Add salt and pepper once you’ve given it a taste and you’re all set.
Here are the ingredient lists:
Basic Vinaigrette
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vinegar (balsamic, white wine, red wine, etc.)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Poppy Seed Dressing
⅓ cup white sugar
½ cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Lemon vinaigrette
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon Juice
salt and pepper to taste
Oil and Vinegar
This is a super easy basic dressing. 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Whisk together, add salt and pepper and that’s it. Use whatever oil or vinegar you like. Here’s one of my favorite combinations.
¾ cup sunflower seed oil
¼ cup white or white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Add chopped garlic or fresh or dried chopped herbs, like cilantro, tarragon, thyme, parsley or oregano. A smidge of Dijon mustard or honey will keep this dressing emulsified.
Creamy yogurt
1 cup plain yogurt, Greek works well
1 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Honey Balsamic Dressing
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Combine balsamic vinegar and honey in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until the mixture emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Balsamic Poppy Seed Dressing
This dressing is the same as the Honey Balsamic described above. Add 1 tablespoon poppy seeds and a ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Jam Vinaigrette
3/4 cup jam, strawberry or blackberry work well
1/4 cup canola Oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
