This Spicy Strawberry Salad is a treat in winter when strawberries start appearing in the stores again, not to mention when strawberries are in season!
There is a surprising amount of kick to this dressing considering the easy ingredients. It comes from the garlic... if you like it really, really zesty crush the garlic instead of mince. If you like it toned down consider reducing the amount of minced garlic.
The feta cheese and raspberry elements in the dressing make it salty and tangy.
It comes together in no time. You need to toast your almonds but you can do that while you prep the lettuce and strawberries.
This salad is so robust it would make a fantastic side to a nice juicy steak. Check out the choices below!
Or this Make Ahead Chicken Salad
Wine Pairing for Spicy Strawberry Salad
The strawberries in the Salad and the raspberry in the dressing suggest a fruity Rosé would be a great pairing with this salad. That would be my first choice.
In the White category I would go with an aromatic Pinot Gris or an off-dry fruity Riesling.
Red category calls for a lighter red, again something fruity and not tannic- a light Pinot Noir or a Grenache varietal or blend would also work. A lighter Sangiovese could also work.
Spicy Strawberry Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 3 cups strawberrries cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup feta cheese grated
- 1 cup almonds
Dressing
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsps brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup raspberry dressing (I used Kraft)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
Salad
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Roughly crush almonds. I put them in a re-sealable bag and crush them with my rolling pin.
- Toast almonds 10-13 minutes. Monitor closely since nuts can burn quickly.
- Arrange lettuce, strawberries and feta on a platter.
Dressing
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined.
- Top salad with cooled crushed almonds just before serving and drizzle dressing over salad.
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