Over the weekend, I was talking to my friend Laurie over the weekend, and she informed me that she had the most delightful salad. She didn’t say as much, but I was sensing she wanted me to try to remake it… and since it sounded so amazing, remake it I did.
In the mix:
3 big handfuls of organic baby spinach
1/2 c. sliced strawberries
1/2 diced avocado
1 Tbsp. sliced almonds, toasted
2 slices center cut bacon, cooked very crisp and crumbled
1 chicken breast, diced and roasted in 1 tsp. olive oil, thyme, S&P
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1 oz. Chavrie goat cheese
Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/ 4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 c. water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place all ingredients except olive oil in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth. Drizzle in the olive oil, and blend until emulsified. You’ll know its emulsified when it turns a lighter pink. Pour in the water and blend well, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds.
You have to try this salad. If you don’t do chicken, just leave it out. Pescetarian? Replace the chicken with some grilled salmon. Vegan? Leave off the bacon and chicken all together and bake some tofu to put on top. The combo of the strawberries, spinach, almonds, avocado, and vinaigrette just SCREAM Summer!
You know what else screams Summer? My dessert:
Looks good, huh? Nothing like low-fat, no sugar added mint chocolate chip ice cream to finish off a day… and what makes it even better? It’s tiny! You all know how I feel about tiny food!
Have a wonderful night!
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Ha! My blog post for today is almost identical to this…clearly it’s strawberry season!
.-= BethT´s last blog ..Favorite Salad =-.
I cannot wait for local berries! I love your baby ice cream cup too…I spy Crate and Barrel finds!
.-= Mama Pea´s last blog ..My KIND of Day =-.
haha yeah, I have a problem with buying adorable things from C&B… I might have to go get more of those tiny cups!
yes, please, i would LOVE to eat this tonight
seriously though, fabulous! especially with those gorgeous berries!
And don’t you just love how they are dirt cheap too! Ahh, summer fruit. What could be better!
I think your feelings of tiny food resemble my feelings of food in a bowl.
It just tastes better.
Have a fantastic night sweet girl.
.-= Lauren´s last blog ..Happy Birthday Babaishka! =-.
I want to jump thru the screen and eat that! Yum!
.-= Jessica @ How Sweet It Is´s last blog ..Peanut Butter Frosted Chocolate Chip Blondies. =-.
Maybe we need to go berry picking when you visit this summer!
Just have to say your pictures are so very beautiful with your new camera! I need a new one SO BAD!
.-= Ally@Sweet & Savory´s last blog ..Mustard Glazed Roasted Chicken & Weekend Recap =-.
Yum that salad looks delicious! And that tiny dessert is so cute!!
.-= Christina´s last blog ..How to Hard Boil Easy-to-Peel Eggs =-.
Ummm, did you see my post about strawberries today? lol Totally excited!!! I also made a big fruity salad as well. AND I have those little ice cream cups from c+b..hehehe
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..how fast =-.
I’m excited about the strawberries too!! I wish I liked fruit in my food though…..I like it by itself or in desserts only. I know…I’m weird.
.-= Melissa (MelissaLikesToEat)´s last blog ..Viva Las Vegas!! =-.
Mara, you’re so cute! Yay for the salad!!
I eat mine with red onion, too. The dressing that they make at LEAF for the salad tastes like you’re eating peanut butter and jelly dressing on your salad. It’s seriously like dessert and very much summer.
I <3 Strawberries.
.-= Laurie´s last blog ..…….are we there yet?, are we there yet?, are we there yet? =-.
Oh yum! I will definitely, definitely try that dressing when I come back from vacation. I wish I could head out and buy a pint of strawberries now, but we need to clear out the fridge!
.-= Tamara´s last blog ..My First Day as a Housewife =-.
I love summer spinach salads! I make mine with strawberries, chicken, and eggs. Sometimes I will even top a few almonds on top. Delicious and filling!
.-= amanda´s last blog ..Eating my way around a city =-.
That looks insanely delicious. Avocados, bacon, goat cheese and strawberries taste wonderful together. I need to make this asap!
.-= Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat)´s last blog ..rush rush =-.
Cute ice cream cup!
I love salad with baked tofu on top
Strawberries would just make it that much better!
.-= Sagan´s last blog ..Re-cap of the Thirty Days of Yoga Challenge =-.
That salad looks amazing! I LOVE the picture, one of your best yet since your new cam!! I love strawberry salad with goat cheese, YUM!
Jenn
.-= Jenn (www.j3nn.net)´s last blog ..Hold The Pasta =-.
I love the little cup, but I would need to eat 3 of them when it comes to ice cream! The salad looks delicious! I am all over the strawberries right now too!
.-= Sarena (The Non Dairy Queen)´s last blog ..Feel Good Food =-.
I have many strawberries to use this week…I bought three pounds this weekend! This might be a winner for a meal some night! It looks delicious!!!
.-= Autumn´s last blog ..SOOOOO good! =-.
Let’s be honest – any salad with bacon & avocado has to be good. End of story.
.-= Marianne´s last blog ..Media Muffin Contest Recap =-.