Strawberry Spinach Salad: Fresh for Spring |Cooking With Amanda

Every year February comes and I love going to the grocery store to see it loaded with strawberries. February is the time of year to make plenty of treats for your sweethearts and chocolate and strawberry desserts are all the rage. By the time March arrives, there is still an abundance of strawberries in the stores and they remind me that spring is right around the corner.

The smell of juicy ripe strawberries brings me visions of summer and drinking daiquiris by the pool. Envisioning bright summer days just makes me want to put together some big salads. Of course, there has to be strawberries in them too.

One of my favorite simple salads is this strawberry spinach salad. It might look fancy, but is very easy to make. I like to serve it as a side with dinner but it can be topped with chicken for a main dish. It goes great as part of an outdoor dinner but I never hesitate to make this salad at a ladies lunch next to a quiche also.

I always make the dressing the day before so the flavors meld together. I add strawberry preserves to the dressing just to give it a nice touch. There is no hiding the strawberries in this salad. It can be put together right before you need to serve it so that the spinach and strawberries stay as fresh as possible.

Almonds add just the right crunch but don't be afraid to substitute another nut such as pecans or walnuts. I like almonds for their good nutritional value but if you don't have them, don't sweat it. I think pistachios might also be a good addition.

In the spring and summer, I serve a salad with dinner almost every night. Sometimes it is the main course. Here are some other salads I will be serving often:

Do you like salads as much as I do? What is your favorite salad that you eat again and again?

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Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons strawberry preserves, or jam

For the Salad:

6 ounces baby spinach
2 cups strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup almonds, sliced and toasted
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, water and preserves. Set aside.
Put the spinach in a big bowl. Top with the strawberries.
Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad. Use as much or as little as you would like.
Top with feta cheese and toasted almonds.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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