Strawberry-Spinach Salad (I also added a lot of lettuce)
Spruce Up Your Salad with Fruit and Feta
Instead of dumping a package of salad mix into a bowl and coating it with bottled dressing, try this switch up. Start with baby spinach (I used mostly lettuce because I had it), strawberries (I threw in a few blueberries, too), toasted pecans, (I used my favorite Spiced Nut recipe), and goat cheese (nice creamy tang).
Ta-da! Your salad is a color wheel, brimming with fruits and vegetables. Crown this royal melange with the 3-ingredient dressing shown below. Just whisk together the chopped shallots, olive oil and a fruity vinegar, like raspberry or champagne vinegar.
Put Your Salad on Stage
Transfer your salad to your prettiest bowl. Avoid plastic containers. Even for an everyday meal, I treat my salads to a glass bowl or an attractive wooden one. Your salad deserves a good stage. Then, before turning your family/guests loose, take a photo. Why? Because images are a reminder of your creations and they’ll inspire you to make them again.
Keep the Memories
I wish I had photos of some of the wonderful dishes my mother made: chocolate cake, fried chicken, porcupine balls (how did that get in here?), potato salad, spoon bread, meatloaf, and chicken and dumplings. But we didn’t take pictures of food back then. People posed in their Sunday best or stood in front of signs or landmarks while on vacation. After all, each photo cost money.
It took nearly a week for our film to be developed at the drug store and cost more money to get a new roll. But now we have no such excuses for ignoring special moments. Food memories are some of our fondest and most colorful. Don’t miss those kitchen memories.
Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. baby spinach (or mix with lettuce)
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
- 2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 Tbs. raspberry or champagne vinegar
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Place spinach/lettuce, strawberries, pecans and goat cheese in bowl. Place shallot and vinegar in medium bowl and drizzle in oil, whisking to combine. Pour amount desired over salad. Serve immediately.
