The balsamic dressing for this Strawberry Spinach Salad uses honey and Dijon to pack a flavourful punch. Sesame seeds give it a bit of crunch.
This makes a great winter salad because spinach and strawberries are available throughout the winter months. It can be especially cute for a Valentine dinner with all that red! And - no contest- it is a great summer salad too when spinach and strawberries are fresh from the garden.
It makes a great side for steak since it is so flavorful it stands up to the weight of the meat. It is especially good with my Pistachio Black Olive Crusted Steak! Having said that it is also good for lunch with chicken or just about anything else!
The dressing uses Dijon mustard to thicken it and it is delicious. I also like it without the Dijon. The pepper really shines through before you add the Dijon. It is a obviously thinner but the pepperiness really complements the strawberries.
If you are serving it as a side salad it makes about 6 servings. If you are using it as a main it is more like 4 servings if you are adding chicken or steak to it.
I tend to buy the pre washed baby spinach. I still rinse it (because Dr. Oz says it isn't always really clean!). Fresh spinach is nice in the summer when it is young but you really have to clean it well to get rid of the sand. I fill a sink with cold water and submerge the spinach and swish it around. The sand falls to the bottom of the sink. I pick out the spinach leaves, de-stemming as I go and transfer to my salad spinner. Then I rinse it again and spin it dry. Nothing worse than sand in your spinach!
However you choose to serve it - enjoy!
Wine Pairing for Healthy No Fat Strawberry Spinach Salad
A fruity Rosé with descriptors of strawberry or raspberry would be perfect for this. Spinach is sturdy and the dressing here is flavourful so you could also go with a fruity medium or light bodied red like Pinot Noir or a light Sangiovese.
No Fat Strawberry Spinach Salad
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Save Print Pin FacebookIngredients
Salad
- 10 cups baby spinach (or mixed greens)
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1 small red onion sliced thinly vertically
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Dressing
- 2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsps rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tsps Dijon mustard See Notes.
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and spin spinach dry.
- Toast sesame seeds in a small dry pan over medium/high heat til brown. It took about 6 minutes for mine. Watch them carefully. Once they start to brown remove from heat. They can burn quickly.
- Slice strawberries and onions.
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together vigorously.
- Toss spinach, strawberries and onions in a bowl. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Toss with dressing in a bowl or pass dressing separately.
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