Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Feta Cheese is a classic summer salad using farm-fresh greens and strawberries. I have dressed it with a pink vinaigrette which is made with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar, blended with a strawberry, and sweetened with honey.
When is Strawberry Season in Florida?
From November through the end of March, strawberries are abundant and inexpensive in Florida. From April to July, strawberries in South Florida are brought in from a cooler state--our hot summers are just too hot for growing much of anything.
Every March, there is a huge Strawberry Festival at Wish Farms in Plant City, Florida. It's about 5 hours north of the Key Largo (pretty far) and looks like so much fun! I have to get there next year!
What To Look for When Buying Strawberries
Look for organic plump berries with fresh-looking green tops. A shriveling strawberry indicates age and will quickly start to get moldy at home. Once the mold is in the fruit the entire piece should not be eaten. Rinse well under cold water before eating.
What You Need:
- Baby Spinach
- Romaine Lettuce
- Organic Feta Cheese
- Red Onion
- Strawberries
- Sliced Almonds
For the Strawberry Vinaigrette
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Garlic
- Honey
- Shallot
- Salt
- Strawberry
About The Salad Greens
I had originally made this salad with only spinach but it needed a little more crunch. The next salad I made with half spinach and half romaine. It was perfect!
To slice the romaine, place it on a cutting board and make horizontal cuts to slice it into ½-inch or 1-inch strips.
Rinse the green under cold running water. Place the lettuce and spinach in a salad spinner to get the moisture out. You can also use a clean towel, but be careful not to press too hard for the spinach will damage.
How to Make Pink Vinaigrette
I made this pink vinaigrette dressing with apple cider vinegar instead of traditional balsamic vinegar.
I sweetened the dressing with a little honey. Of course, you can add more if you like sweet dressings. I've chopped up half of a shallot, a little garlic, and one strawberry, which gives it a beautiful pink color. I blended it all with my immersion blender.
You can make the dressing day ahead of the salad to allow the flavors to blend.
For The Toppings
I use organic feta cheese made by Greek Isle. You can find it at Publix, our local grocery store in Key Largo. It is much better than the cheese in the tub!
Open the package and the black of cold cheese can be scraped with a fork to grate it into small pieces for the salad.
TIP: Make sure you get regular feta cheese. The fat-free feta tastes horrible!
Toasted almonds are a great crispy topper for this salad! Place a small dry skillet over medium heat, add the almonds, and they will get toasty and golden brown in a few minutes. Shake the pan every minute or so so they brown evenly.
This recipe goes great with Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts!
TOP TIPS
Fresh vegetables and great cheese are the keys to this super easy healthy salad! If you like a lot of dressing on your salads, double the amount in the recipe. This salad is great topped with Pan Seared Chicken Breasts or Sauteed Skirt Steak.
This recipe is good for the Kaufmann Phase 2 Diet. Check out my Phase 2 Recipes Index for more recipes.
Try Some Of Our Other Favorite Summer Recipes:
Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Feta
Ingredients
For The Pink Vinaigrette (see note in the tips)
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Salt sea salt or pink salt is best
- 1 Shallot finely chopped
- 1 Large Strawberry (or 2 smaller ones) stemmed and mashed with the back of a fork
For The Salad
- 3 cups Baby Spinach
- 3 cups sliced Romaine Lettuce
- ½ cup Organic Feta Cheese (sub with goat cheese if you cannot tolerate cow milk)
- ¼ cup Sliced Almonds
- ½ Red Onion sliced
- 2 cups Fresh Strawberries, trimmed and halved. (1 pint)
Instructions
- Measure dressing ingredients. Blend for a few seconds using a hand-held immersion blender or a small food processor. Pour into a small screw-top jar.
- Place almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Heat the almonds until they are light brown and fragrant, shaking the pan occasionally, for about 4 minutes.
- Remove the outer leaves of the romaine lettuce and slice off the core; discard. Slice the lettuce crosswise into 1-inch strips.
- Rinse the romaine and spinach under cold running water. Spin the leaves in a salad spinner or gently pat dry with paper towels. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Divide salad mixture onto four large salad plates. Scatter feta cheese, red onion, strawberries, and toasted almonds on each salad.
- Pass the dressing.
Notes
- Prepare the dressing at least 15 minutes in advance if you have the time.
- You can make the dressing with frozen strawberries, but use fresh berries on the salad.
- Store the dressing in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
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