Salads are great additions to any dinner menu. They pair well with multiple main dish, you can use them as a starter course, and they are easy to make. Depending on how many you are preparing food for – salads could also be your main dish if you desire.
Salads are easy ways to get your daily doses of vitamins and minerals that leave your system refreshed, antioxidant-boosted, and ready to get through another day. They are also ideal for those hot summer nights when you just can’t imagine turning on the oven or stove to prepare a hot meal.
This light but filling, easy but flavourful strawberry spinach salad is a hit amongst all food groups. You have your vegetables, a savoury dressing to coat the leaves, and you have the option of making enough for the following day or just enough to gorge yourself on now. It is good for you, it is good in terms of taste, and you can stuff your face without worrying about your waistline.
Health Benefits of Spinach
Spinach is the type of vegetable that all doctors and nutrition specialists beg you to eat on a daily basis. If you can’t eat it daily? At least a couple times of week. Why is this?
Well, it is because spinach is loaded down in vitamin and mineral goodness, providing the body with Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Iron, Magnesium, and more. It is low in calories. You can purchase it year-round in both frozen and fresh packages. It helps your digestive system regulate and clears your body free of toxins (thank you fiber!). Spinach is the chosen food of Popeye – ok not exactly a benefit but cool fact.
It doesn’t matter if you choose to use fresh spinach, packaged spinach, or frozen spinach – you are guaranteed to get the health benefits it promises you.
Health Benefits of Strawberries
We just looked at all the health benefits that spinach can offer a person but what about strawberries? The other main ingredient to this salad can definitely hold its own when it comes to health benefits with its natural sugar and high amounts of Vitamin C. They are rich in folate and potassium which encourages healthy bones and sugar levels while providing the body with natural immunity against common viruses.
These little red berries are grown on a vine and can be found in numerous locations around the globe. Some people prefer wild strawberries that you can find in wooded locations while others prefer the ones shipped from the hottest corners of the Earth. Regardless, they are flavourful and healthy for you.
Want to increase your antioxidant intake? Strawberries. Looking for something sweet without the processed sugar and empty calories? Strawberries. Want to try your hand at making your own jams and jellies? Strawberries.
Ingredients you’ll need for Strawberry Spinach Salad:
- 3 oz. fresh spinach
- 1 ½ cups strawberries
- 1 avocado
- ¼ red onion
Ingredients for Salad Dressing
- 1 cup sunflower seed, previously soaked for 3 hrs
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
How to make the Strawberry Spinach Salad:
Step 1: chop berries
Using a kitchen knife, chop the fresh strawberries into bite-size pieces or chunks. Try to avoid tearing or pushing the strawberry into the cutting board as this will turn it into mush.
Slice your peeled onion into slivers or thin slices for the best results. You don’t want chunks of onion throughout the salad, just slivers to enhance the flavours.
You can also decrease the intensity of the red onion flavour by soaking the slices into warm or cool water for about 10 minutes before adding it to the salad. If you want the full taste of them? Then skip this part.
Step 2: chop nuts
Chop almonds as a garnish for the salad using a sharp knife. Try to at least half them if you can’t get them chopped into slivers.
Step 3: dressing
Prepare the salad dressing by combining all the ingredients needed into a mixing cup (for easy pouring). Stir the mixture until all the ingredients have been combined.
Place salad ingredients into a salad bowl and drizzle the top with the prepared dressing. Try not to soak the salad as this will lead to soggy and wilted spinach leaves.
If you want additional seasoning – sprinkle the top of the dressing-coated salad with fresh pepper and salt.
FAQ
Can You Use Frozen Strawberries?
Frozen strawberries, while ideal and great to use in baking or smoothies, would not be the best fit for a fresh salad. This is because the ice within the frozen strawberry unthaws and can turn the berry into mush. This is fine when you are using it for baking, jams, jellies, or smoothies but when it comes to a salad? You don’t want to add additional water into the recipe that can lead to wilted spinach leaves, watered-down dressing, and more.
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