Salad

Spring Garden Strawberry Salad

Create a light and flavorful Spring Garden Strawberry Salad, ideal as a main course or side that complements any meal.

Spring… Garden… Strawberry… Salad… I only wish my garden were bursting with this bounty right now. Fortunately, the markets I visit have all the ingredients on hand. And who can say no to a little bacon and blue cheese??

Like many salad recipes, this one is a guide. Feel free to adjust/add/take out according to your own taste. With the vinaigrette, however, leave as is. It is seasonally sweet and spoonful worthy. The salad is delightful on its own for a nice lunch or light dinner, or as a delicious accompaniment to some leftover cold fried chicken.

Spring Garden Strawberry Salad

By Nicole Prep: 15 minsCook: 1 minTotal: 16 mins Servings: 6 A fresh salad with arugula, sliced strawberries, crumbled blue cheese, cucumber, and pieces of bacon served in a white bowl on a yellow napkin, with another similar bowl in the background.

A fresh salad with arugula, sliced strawberries, crumbled blue cheese, cucumber, and pieces of bacon served in a white bowl on a yellow napkin, with another similar bowl in the background.

This Spring salad is bursting with sweet and savory flavors!

Equipment

High-speed blender

Ingredients

For the Sweet Basil Vinaigrette

⅓ cup red wine vinegar
2 small shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Safflower or other neutral oil

For the Salad

1 ½ cups (5 ounces) fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 ounces fresh arugula
2 ounces mixed spring greens
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
½ English cucumber seeded and chopped
¾ cup frozen English peas, thawed
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
6 cooked bacon slices, coarsely chopped

Instructions

For the Sweet Basil Vinaigrette

Process the first 8 ingredients in a blender until smooth. With the blender running, add the oil in a slow and steady stream; processing until smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Salad

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the sugar snap peas until bright green and crisp tender, about 30 seconds. Drain and plunge the peas into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once cool, drain the peas again and cut in half diagonally.
Toss together the arugula, greens, sugar snap peas, and next five ingredients in a large shallow bowl, serving platter, or individual plates. Serve with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 574mg, Potassium: 385mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 971IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 151mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.