Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad

Is there anything better than fresh fruit on a warm, sunny day? We think not. But, of course, we believe in kicking things up a notch as we’ve done with our rich and flavorful “Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad” recipe. Created with the summer season in mind, this one’s bursting with health-promoting nutrients and even highlights the patriotic colors red, white and blue making it the perfect addition to your Memorial, Independence or Labor Day cookout.

Light, refreshing and amazingly filling, it’s an easy-peasy, sweet and savory blend that comes together in less than 15 minutes.

THE BALANCING ACT

Our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad is essentially a healthier version of a fruit salad. You’re probably thinking, a fruit salad is already “healthy,” right? Though fruit salad can offer a bundle of nutritional benefits, it has a shortcoming in that it only contains fruit. Most types of fruit contain large amounts of simple sugars, which tend to digest quickly and are well known to contribute to weight gain and related chronic conditions when consumed in excess.

This is not to say that eating fruit is a bad thing. Fruit is actually one of our “Five Bowl Basics“ so we’re fans of fruit. When it comes to eating fruit, That Salad Lady always recommends pairing it with quality fat sources like nuts, seeds and their butters, as these foods help slow the rate of digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels. Fat also helps the body better absorb many of the phytonutrients and antioxidants housed in fruit, and veggies too.

Our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad is not only rich in berries and spinach, which are among the best of the “five-a-day” staples, but it’s also chock-full of healthy fats and well-dressed in a yummy strawberry vinaigrette dressing for even more fruity flavor. The bold glorious colors of the fruit and other ingredients make this one of our most festive salads. It’s like a celebration of fresh flavors, great textures and good nutrition to fully commemorate the summer holidays.

Let’s talk more about what’s in our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad recipe and why.

Perfectly Sweet Berries

Our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad recipe includes blueberries and strawberries, both of which are deliciously sweet, packed full of nutrients and just plain old good for you. Choose the ripest blueberries and strawberries you can find, as they’ll be the sweetest. Perfectly ripe blueberries take on a deep blue-indigo color, while the ripest strawberries will be red through and through.

If you prefer using other berries like raspberries or blackberries instead, by all means do so. They’re all naturally high in vitamin C, flavonoids and other antioxidants. These nutritional qualities berries especially beneficial in both the prevention and treatment of common chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The Subtle Goodness of Spinach

As hinted by the title, we suggest spinach as a base for this recipe. By itself, spinach is quite bland – that blandness creates the space for all the other ingredients to shine. Though virtually tasteless, spinach is packed with fiber, vitamins and a powerful cocktail of antioxidants, making it among the most nutritionally beneficial leafy green veggies you can use in any salad.

Spring mix usually contains some spinach, so feel free to use it if that’s what you have – and before it goes bad. Here at That Salad Lady, we aim to avoid food waste!

A Craveable Fat Combo

To bring out the best in the berries (and the spinach), our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad recipe calls for the rich, savory, downright craveable flavors of pecans and avocado, which is also actually a berry fruit. Both are dense sources of monounsaturated fat, which is generally referred to as “healthy” or “good” fats. From heart health, to blood sugar control, to cancer protection, they’ve been shown to offer a number of health benefits.

For an even bigger flavor explosion we include optional steps for candying pecans. We emphasize that this process is totally “optional,” as it calls for using cinnamon and brown sugar, which’ll increase the overall sugar content of the recipe. If you choose not to candy your pecans, you can toast them instead. Whether candied or toasted, pecans bring great flavor and texture to the recipe. If you don’t have pecans, you can substitute equal amounts of walnuts.

Goat Cheese for a Tangy Twist

For a tasty, tangy twist and a good dose of quality protein our recipe includes goat cheese, which is one of That Salad Lady’s favorites. The tart, earthy flavor of goat cheese really sets it apart from cow cheeses – and it’s more easily digestible. Besides being rich in protein and probiotics, goat cheese offers more calcium than cow cheeses (visit our “Nutrition Glossary” to learn more).

If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, you can easily substitute it for Gorgonzola, blue or feta cheese, or even a plant-based goat cheese alternative for a vegan-friendly blend.

Bittersweet Dressing for the Win

For even more berryliciousness, we round out the recipe with That Salad Lady’s homemade strawberry vinaigrette dressing. With ingredients like apple cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and honey, it’s a bittersweet blend that brings all the flavors together. If you choose not to make it, a simple berry-based or balsamic vinaigrette will suffice. It’s all about building your bowl, your way.

GET COOKING

Cooking is only required for the pecans. For toasting, just heat up the oven to 350 degrees F and bake them for 5-10 minutes. That’s it! Doesn’t get any simpler than this. Candying requires a bit more hands-on time, but the process is pretty straightforward. Just combine some brown sugar and cinnamon in a skillet with a little water and then add the pecans. The total cooking time is less than five minutes (see recipe card).

START MIXING

If using the strawberry vinaigrette dressing, start by simply adding all the ingredients to your blender or food processor. With variable speed units, start with a low speed and then gradually increase it to a higher speed until the mixture is perfectly smooth.

BUILD YOUR SALAD BOWL

When you’re ready to build your bowl, simply slice your avocado into wedges and your strawberries into 1/4-inch pieces. Whether you use our strawberry vinaigrette or another type of vinaigrette dressing, we recommend tossing your spinach with dressing just prior to preparing the salad. In a large bowl, simply coat the spinach with dressing and toss it using salad spoons, tongs or your gloved hands.

From there, divide the spinach evenly between 2-4 salad bowls or plates, add the avocado and strawberry slices, blueberries and crumbled goat cheese, and then throw in the candied or plain pecans. That Salad Lady also encourages us to top off our salad bowls with chia seeds as well so use them if you have them. In addition to boosting nutrition, chia seeds can actually enhance the fat burning potential of any salad.

All put together, our Very Berrylicious Spinach Salad is large enough for four generous servings. If you’re planning for leftovers, it’s best to add dressing to each individual salad bowl as opposed to mixing it in with the whole salad blend. The veggies and fruits will quickly get soggy, and you won’t be as happy with your creation the next day.

Add Your Finishing Touches

To boost the protein content and overall filling effect of your salad, throw in a handful of shredded salmon, chopped chicken breast or even roasted extra-firm tofu. Visit our Nutrition Glossary for more ideas, as it’s all about making YOU confident in building YOUR bowl.  

SHOW US YOUR BOWL

That Salad Lady wants to see your bowl! If you like it, which we are sure you will, drop a comment below and tag pics on Instagram with @thatsaladlady, #thatsaladlady and #buildyourbowl. If you love it, pin it on Pinterest and share it on Facebook and Twitter using #thatsaladlady.

This information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate. Please review our full disclaimer to get a clear understanding of the nutrition and health information and resources presented and written on our website.