A beautiful and fresh summer salad, this Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Goat Cheese from guest poster Simple and Savory is a decadent yet healthy dish!
Hello readers! I’m on vacation this week so Anne from the blog Simple and Savory is sharing one of her local recipes. Anne focuses on holistic and healthy food, and her recipes cater to many different diets and lifestyles. If that’s something you’re interested in, I highly recommend you visit her site! Thank you, Anne! – Cristina
Hi there! Anne from Simple and Savory here helping out Cristina while she is on vacation. I was so excited when I heard that Cristina was looking for guest bloggers to write about seasonal and local foods, because that’s me! I live in New Jersey and shop for most of my foods at local farms. If you have ever visited this beautiful state you might be thinking I’m a little bit crazy, farms in New Jersey? And the answer is yes. In fact, there are quite a few of them. Most people think of New Jersey as the New Jersey Turnpike and traffic, but that’s only a small portion of the state. There is a reason why it’s called the Garden State. New Jersey has its fair share of rolling hills and beautiful farms scattered throughout the western and southern portions of the state. Here is the view as I pull into the driveway of the farm I shop at each week to buy meat, eggs and seasonal veggies. It’s centrally located and only an hour between New York City and Philadelphia. . .
Now wouldn’t you rather shop here instead of a crowded supermarket? I know I would. The food is fresher, it hasn’t traveled that far and it tastes so much better.
Summer is rapidly approaching and the fresh produce is really starting to come in. I’m so looking forward to a summer of fresh fruits and vegetables. Leafy greens, strawberries and onions are what’s on the seasonal list for June. The other day I went to the farm and I picked up this fresh spinach, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard and strawberries. The strawberries were so sweet and delicious they didn’t last long at all!
In celebration of the beginning of summer and the beautiful fresh produce that goes along with it, I am sharing one of my favorite summer salads made with fresh and local ingredients. Spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese.
You can make this salad ahead of time, and add the dressing just before serving. It tastes great with grilled chicken. . .Enjoy!
- 4 cups spinach
- 1 pint fresh sliced strawberries
- 3 ounces goat cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces
- DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon nightshade free Dijon mustard
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Place the spinach, strawberries and walnuts into a large salad bowl and toss
-
whisk all of the dressing ingredients together
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add the goat cheese and half of the dressing gently toss
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serve with extra dressing on the side
