Farewell Spring, because I am ready for summer and so is my salad. We’re going to call-on warm weather ingredients like fresh, farmer’s market strawberries, spinach, sweet corn, cucumbers and beets for one perfect bowl of salad goodness. We’ll dress to the occasion with a homemade poppyseed balsamic dressing. Who wants to slave over the stove on a hot summer-like evening, so why not have this one as a light & fresh dinner, or serve alongside something from the grill!
Beautiful red & ripe strawberries are all over the farmers markets these days, and the ones I bought were absolutely delicious! Something about the sweet that will go nicely with our spinach and spicy mix green salad. And who doesn’t love some poppy seeds every now and then? (well, to each their own I guess…)
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This is as easy as chopping up a few veggies, and mixing up some dressing.
summer strawberry salad
with spinach, corn & poppyseed dressing
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Welcome summer with a light and fresh salad! Strawberries add a sweetness that goes well with a spicy spinach salad mix. Poppyseed balsamic dressing gives us a tangly topping. Perfect alone or with any main summer dish.
What to get...
- Fresh baby Spinach (about 2 cups)
- Fresh spicy salad mix (I gets at farmer's market, organic, with arugula, red leaf & baby lettuces).
- Fresh strawberries (1 basket, ripe!), sliced and halved.
- Cucumber, thinly sliced and quartered. (use over half)
- Red onion, finely chopped (will use a little less than half)
- Ear of sweet white corn, cut off cob. (use entire ear)
- Precooked baby beets, sliced and thinly chopped. (about 3)
- 2 parts (1/4 cup) light, extra virgin olive oil (use good oil!)
- 1 part (1/8 cup) aged balsamic (you may want to use less depending on the balsamic, but I add a lot)
- 1 T poppy seeds
- 1/8 tsp dried mustard
- 1 T honey
- dash of lemon zest
- 1/8 cup white wine or dry champagne
- Fresh black ground pepper & kosher salt to taste
What to do...
- Wash, dry and trim all greens. Tear into bite sized pieces.
- Chop all salad ingredients and in large salad bowl add lettuce mix with spinach and add onion, cucumbers, beets, corn and strawberries!
- Assemble dressing in a clean jar with lid. shake vigorously to combine and taste. If it needs more oil add at this point. If it needs more sweetness, add more honey and salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve with dressing!
- *feta cheese is also a nice addition to this as desired.
Notes
You can use any store bought dressing, but something about a quick homemade version that makes this salad special. I go heavy on balsamic and use little oil, which is very potent, but the recipe above calls for a more normal ratio of oil to balsamic. You can tweak this easily to your tastebuds!
Get your upcoming Memorial Day weekend off to a fresh start, with a salad without all the lame iceberg… It makes a great addition at a BBQ and let’s face it, it’s just plain easy, so more time at the pool for you.
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Summer is really here…It is all about light, fun and easy recipes. Everyone’s busy with a sunny day picnic, a trip to the beach. Gee! I have to make sure the recipes I have are all summer-y. This would be a great addition. Thanks!
As someone who makes this salad weekly during strawberry season (thanks to Lyndsy sharing the recipe), I can vouch for this one. And the dressing is so good you’ll want to drink it sans lettuce.
Thanks Dani & MyFudo! This salad really is a go-to amidst summertime, and I think if there is access to sweet & ripe strawberries, and really good summer, sweet corn, there is no reason not to bust this one pre-meal, or as a meal, or maybe more complete with a grilled balsamic checkin breast… or a fillet of salmon. And so on… I must be hungry! :) Balsamic and strawberries just seem to ‘work.’