My Favorite Spinach Salad!
So today I want to give you guys a recipe that is perfect for hot steamy summer days, but can also be reimagined a bit to carry you over to fall. This is my simple and absolute favorite Spinach Salad!
If you remember my Apple Galette Recipe from April, then you might remember that I had the opportunity to try some delicious KORU apples from the kind folks at Starr Ranch Growers out of Washington. As I mentioned before, these apples have the perfect flavor because they are just as tasty eaten raw, as they are baked in a warm apple dessert! We added them to everything we possibly could!
I’ve always been someone who enjoys fruit in my salads. Fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit flavored vinaigrette…I need that sweetness to counter the savory. So in the summertime I love to add loads of juicy strawberries, apples (also good for fall!), blueberries, mandarins, dried cherries or cranberries, etc. But I also like to make a meal out of my salads. I grew up eating salad’s as merely a side dish, a second thought. So they were rarely anything to write home about. Lettuce, some shredded cheese, diced cucumbers and either a store-bought dressing or a nice drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar…but more on dressings in a minute.
So because I like my salads to be more hearty I make sure I’m vamping up the veg-factor. I love to use a dark leafy green like spinach because of the nutritional benefits, shredded carrots or cabbage, a ton of diced cucumber, and sometimes even some raw broccoli diced up and mixed in with everything.
Another important element to my salads is the crunch factor. Chopped walnuts is a common addition for me, but I also love to add sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, and hemp seeds (sometimes I’ll add a combination of those!).
And for some healthy fat I love to add a perfectly ripe avocado! As long as they don’t cost 3 bucks each HA.
Earlier this spring when I got the opportunity to try these delicious Koru Apples I knew they’d be the perfect addition to my salads! The taste lended so nicely to sweeter dishes of course, like my Apple Galette, but because of the slight tartness they were perfect paired with my savory-sweet spinach salads! These beautiful Koru apples from Starr Ranch Growers are honestly so versatile-we enjoyed them for snacking, baking, and in big family style salads!
For my dressing I like to keep it really simple and use a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I love me some balsamic vinegar! But I almost always have these ingredients on hand and paired together they make the perfect salad dressing that requires zero effort on my part. So get creative! This is one of those meals that it only takes a couple times to make before you have yourself the perfect equation and will want to make it over and over again!
For your Salad
Greens: I love to use spinach or sometimes a combination or spinach and romaine
Fruit: Strawberries and apples are favorites of mine. Pears are delicious to add in fall and winter months also
Chopped, diced, shredded veggies such as carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage
Crunchy stuff: chopped nuts and seeds of any variety
Dried fruit: my favorites are cranberries and cherries (try apricots, mango, etc!)
Healthy fats: ALL HAIL AVOCADO
Mix all of your ingredients and drizzle on your olive oil and vinegar OR use your favorite homemade or store-bought dressing!
