Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnut Crunch

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Let’s face facts. It’s hard to find something new by way of a green salad. We’ve all had various combinations of salad greens tossed with various combinations of vegetables and fruits. What makes a salad different and special is that little extra something, as in this case with the walnut crunch. It takes your already tasty fresh salad over the top, changing it from every day, to a special day. 

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnut Crunch

Fresh baby spinach
Fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and quartered
Walnut Crunch (recipe below)
Raspberry Vinaigrette (recipe below)

To make walnut crunch:

1 large egg white, room temperature
¼ c. packed dark brown sugar

½ t. espresso powder
Pinch of kosher salt
1 c. walnut pieces, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper; set aside. You can also line your pan with foil, and spray the foil with PAM.

Whisk egg white with sugar, espresso powder, and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Fold in walnuts until coated. Spread mixture into your prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until dry to the touch. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Lift with metal spatula and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container on the counter. Keeps for 10 to 14 days.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

¼ c. canola oil
¼ c. raspberry balsamic vinegar
3 T. granulated sugar
1 t. Dijon mustard
Pinch of salt
Few gratings freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of dried oregano

Method #1: Place sauce ingredients into a mini ninja blender. Pulse until emulsified.

Method #2: Place all ingredients EXCEPT the oil into a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until blended. Continue to whisk as you slowly pour in the oil. Whisk until emulsified. Drizzle over salad.

 

 

May is National Salad Month

May is National Salad Month, and before it gets away (Can you believe that June is next week?), I wanted to share some of my favorite salads with you. This is a tasty and diverse group. Some are hearty, some are light, all are unique and satisfying, and sure to earn you lots of compliments. To get to the recipe, click on the name of the salad beneath each picture.

Chickpea, Avocado and Feta Salad

Fava Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

 Pear and Walnut Salad

 Muffaletta Pasta Salad

 Tarragon Chicken Salad with Champagne Grapes

 Baby Greens, Beet, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad

 Mexican Cobb Salad

 Waldorf Salad

 Sorrel & Watermelon Salad with Feta

This post is linked to:

Merry Monday

Art of Homemaking

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

What’s for Dinner?

Inspiration Monday

Cooking & Crafting Monday

Mosaic Monday

Spinach Salad with Creamy Bacon Dressing

If it's true that our bodies crave what we need, then I must be in dire need of Vitamins A, C, Iron, B-6, and Magnesium, because all of this great nutrition can be found in spinach. Wow. I have been eating so much spinach lately that I decided to buy a pack of seeds and plant my window boxes just prior to the onset of spring in order to harvest my own nutritious greens before the heat of summer. 

An advantage to this type of craving is that it allows me to try various salad dressings and combinations of ingredients. One of my favorite dressings so far, during my week of concentrated experimentation, is this creamy bacon-studded version. As with all dressings, you can increase or decrease according to your tastes, but this was just perfect for me. It works with any type of tossed greens, but was particularly good on fresh spinach. Top with Bleu cheese crumbles and chopped hard-boiled egg. Wonderful!

Creamy Bacon Dressing

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup Hellman's mayonnaise (or Dukes, NOT light, no!)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard
4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
2 Tablespoons chopped yellow onion
Freshly ground black pepper

Gradually whisk vinegar into mayonnaise until thoroughly blended. Whisk in sugar, salt, mustard, bacon, onion, and a few gratings of pepper. Toss with greens and serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday

What’s It Wednesday