Description
This fresh and vibrant Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad is a perfect blend of sweet, creamy, and tangy flavors, featuring fresh baby spinach, ripe strawberries, creamy avocado, crunchy toasted almonds, and tangy crumbled blue cheese. Tossed in a homemade poppyseed dressing with red wine vinegar, honey, and Dijon mustard, this salad is light, nutritious, and ready in just 15 minutes, making it an ideal healthy meal or side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (or goat cheese or feta)
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- Half a small red onion, thinly sliced
Dressing Ingredients
- 1/3 cup avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the avocado oil, red wine vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, salt, and freshly-ground black pepper until the dressing is well emulsified and combined.
- Season the Dressing: Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed to balance the flavors.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the fresh baby spinach, sliced strawberries, diced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, toasted sliced almonds, and thinly sliced red onion.
- Add the Dressing: Drizzle the prepared poppyseed dressing evenly over the salad ingredients to ensure every bite is flavorful.
- Toss the Salad: Gently toss all salad components together until everything is well combined and coated with the dressing without bruising the avocado or spinach.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately for the best freshness and texture, enjoying the crisp, sweet, creamy, and tangy elements in each bite.
Notes
- To toast sliced almonds, heat them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until golden and fragrant.
- For a dairy-free option, omit the cheese or substitute with a plant-based cheese alternative.
- If avocado oil is unavailable, olive oil can be used as a substitute in the dressing.
- This salad is best served fresh; storing it for too long can cause the avocado to brown.
- Feel free to swap blue cheese with goat cheese or feta, depending on preference.
- Adjust honey quantity in the dressing to suit your desired level of sweetness.
