Strawberry Spring Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

Another weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye!

Since Travis and I only get one day “off” together, we always try to make Sunday a good mix of productivity and fun. We started the day off with a major grocery haul at Costco and Trader Joes, to get those things checked off the to-do list. After a busy (and crowded) Sunday morning, we made it back home in need of a little R&R. A nice big lunch and an episode of Dexter later, were ready to head back out again.

I have had my eye on a “U-Pick” Strawberry field not more than 10 minutes from our house for a couple of weeks now, and finally decided to make it happen this weekend! I am honestly a little ashamed to say that I have never been before, only because now I see what a fun weekend outing it is. Aside from that, the strawberries we picked seriously taste AMAZING! There is something so gratifying about knowing exactly where your produce came from, how long ago it was harvested, how it was handled, and who grew it. 

Kenny’s Strawberry Farm is a local, family-owned farm that offers various crops for picking throughout the year, such as strawberries, watermelons, PUMPKINS, and hydroponic vegetables. (I already have Travis pinned down for another “date” come October!) 

I was intrigued about whether or not their crops are grown organically, and was pleased to read this honest description on their website:

“We use a method called integrated pest management which means we start by using all organic methods first to combat various pests and diseases. Only when a pest or disease reaches a threshold that will wipe out our crops, will we use various synthetic chemicals. We will only use these chemicals if absolutely necessary and they are only used to combat the issue, and not to harm the fruit that will be consumed by our customers. A lot of growers will spray their crops on a regular basis whether there is an issue or not. We only spray when an issue arises that needs our attention. It is a common misconception that organic strawberries/produce are not sprayed at all. However, all certified organic growers are still allowed to use certain types of synthetic sprays and chemicals on their crops. We most commonly spray organic seaweed, fish emulsion, calcium and, if necessary, we use various insecticides and fungicides. No fumigants are ever used on our field.” I appreciate that they do everything they can to avoid chemicals, and only use them when their crops are at risk. Of course, strictly organic would be great in an ideal world, but I personally feel that buying consciously grown, local produce that I literally picked myself is pretty darn awesome! Anyway, needless to say, we enjoyed the beautiful, sunny ( and very windy) afternoon outside picking yummy fresh fruit. I can’t wait to go back again as soon as their next crop of produce is ready for picking! 

Of course, I wasn’t juuuust in it for the fun experience…I had ulterior motives for bringing home 4 pounds of strawberries…

I wanted to have the BEST strawberries to make a beautiful and delicious spring salad to bring to the blog just in time for Easter Sunday. 

As I mentioned last week, making food is one of my favorite ways to celebrate holidays and create family traditions. I love, LOVE making a seasonal salad to enjoy during different holidays throughout the year. While I am happy to indulge like one should on a holiday, I also like to have something healthy and filling to balance out the See’s Peanut Butter Egg I know I will be devouring.

So far, I have shared an Autumn Chicken Salad to enjoy around Thanksgiving, a Holiday Pear Salad for Christmastime, a Mediterranean Chicken Kebab Salad perfect for summer/grill season…plus a few more that can be enjoyed any time of the year!

But today I bring to you the ultimate SPRING salad-it would make a great side not only for Easter brunch/dinner, but also for Mother’s Day, a baby/bridal shower, or anytime you want to feast on a flavorful, colorful, and delicious salad…like Strawberries are going out of season!

While this version I am sharing is meat-less, you could absolutely make it entre worthy by adding grilled chicken breasts and/or crumbled bacon. I wanted to keep the salad light and “springy” as a side dish, but I totally added a leftover chicken thigh when I ate it for lunch after photographing 🙂 The awesome part about keeping the simplicity of this salad is that it requires basically no cooking (does tasting almonds count as “cooking”?) It’s super easy to put together whether you are the one entertaining, or you are bringing a side dish to a gathering.

No matter when, where, or how you eat it, I am certain that you will enjoy the amazing combination of sweet berries, creamy goat cheese, toasted slivered almonds, avocado, and thinly sliced onions. But seriously, that dressing!? It is as tasty as it is beautiful. Creamy, sweet, bold, and PINK. What more could you ask for?

Ingredients 

(To serve about 4-6 people as a side, or 2 as an entre)

• 4-6 cups baby lettuce and/or baby spinach (I went 50/50)
•  1 cup strawberries, sliced (plus more for the dressing)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 whole avocado, sliced
• Optional: Bacon crumbles, grilled chicken

For the dressing: 

• 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or more RWV if you don’t have white balsamic)
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Prepare the lettuce/spinach (rinse & dry) and add to a large serving bowl. 
2. Prepare all of the salad toppings. Toast the slivered almonds in your toaster oven or regular oven (watch carefully). Chop off the top and slice the strawberries lengthwise, slice the red onion, avocado, and crumble the goat cheese. 
3. Prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a blender (strawberries, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, honey, avo oil, and poppy seeds.) Blend well so that strawberries are smooth. 
4. With all toppings and dressing prepared, begin to assemble your salad however you please! You can control the amount of each item, depending on your preferences or how many you will be serving 🙂 

Close-ups…Look at those pretty colors and imagine all of those yummy flavors!

Whatever you do don’t skimp on that beautiful and delicious dressing!

Print

Strawberry Spring Salad with Strawberry Dressing

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

A beautiful spring salad filled with strawberries, goat cheese, almonds, avocado, and more, plus a luscious pink berry dressing! 

Course: Side Dish

Author: Maggie @ Our Fine Day

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups baby lettuce and/or baby spinach
• 1 cup strawberries sliced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
• 1 whole avocado sliced
• Optional: Bacon crumbles grilled chicken

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup strawberries chopped
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Prepare the lettuce/spinach (rinse & dry) and add to a large serving bowl.
2. Prepare all of the salad toppings. Toast the slivered almonds in your toaster oven or regular oven (watch carefully). Chop off the top and slice the strawberries lengthwise, slice the red onion, avocado, and crumble the goat cheese.
3. Prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a blender (strawberries, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, honey, avo oil, and poppy seeds.) Blend well so that strawberries are smooth.

4. With all toppings and dressing prepared, begin to assemble your salad however you please! You can control the amount of each item, depending on your preferences or how many you will be serving. 

Recipe Notes

Serves about 4-6 people as a side, or 2 as an entre.