Description
A fresh and vibrant strawberry spinach salad featuring crisp baby spinach, juicy strawberries, crunchy candied pecans, and salty feta cheese, all tossed with a zesty lemon poppy seed dressing. Perfect for a light lunch or a delightful side dish that pleases even picky eaters.
Ingredients
Scale
Candied Nuts
- 3/4 cup 84 g chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 tbsp 24 g brown sugar
- 2 tsp 9 g unsalted butter
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1/4 cup 60 mL light olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 1/2 tsp 4 g honey (optional)
- 1/2 tsp 4 g poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp 4 g dijon mustard
- Zest of half lemon
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp 4 g kosher salt
Salad
- 8 oz 240 g fresh baby spinach, washed
- 8 oz 240 g fresh strawberries, sliced
- 5 oz 130 g feta cheese, crumbled
- 3/4 cup candied pecans or nuts
Instructions
- Prepare Candied Nuts: Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set aside. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped nuts and brown sugar, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula to coat the nuts evenly. Continue cooking and stirring until the sugar caramelizes, about 4 minutes. Spread the candied nuts on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer to cool and harden.
- Make Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey (if using), poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, and kosher salt until well combined and emulsified. Let the dressing rest at room temperature for 15 minutes to meld the flavors.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large salad bowl, gently toss the baby spinach, sliced strawberries, cooled candied nuts, and crumbled feta cheese together until evenly distributed.
- Serve: Serve the salad with the lemon poppy seed dressing on the side, pouring it over just before serving to keep the greens fresh and crisp.
Notes
- Toast the nuts lightly before candying them for extra flavor.
- You can substitute pecans with walnuts or almonds as preferred.
- For a vegan version, omit the feta cheese and use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
- Keep dressing separate until serving to avoid soggy spinach.
- Use fresh, ripe strawberries for the best natural sweetness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 183 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 268 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
