BERRY SPINACH SALAD + CITRUS POPPY SEED DRESSING

This healthy, colorful berry spinach salad is jam packed with flavor! Sweet, juicy strawberries, bursting blueberries, crunchy almonds, and creamy avocado. Tossed in light citrus poppy seed dressing that’s healthy. The most delicious summer berry spinach salad!

Hellloooo, salad! You’ve got summer 2014 written all over you. You do!

My, my you are lookin’ mighty fine. ← I go gaga over salads that are colorful, healthy, and packed with nutrition. No seriously. I’m going salad crazy – in a ‘healthy’ way. Like the ‘everything bagel’, I love everything on my salad. I want crunchy, creamy, juicy, salty, sweet, and tart. Cuz, I want it all (or nothing at all → quick, name that song!)

Enter: This salad.

A berry spinach salad is basically this: sweet juicy strawberries, bursting blueberries, crunchy and delicate baby spinach, thinly sliced red onions, creamy diced avocados, crumbly feta cheese (blue cheese would be good too), sliced almonds, and homemade citrus poppy seed dressing with 3 types of citrus fruit. Tell me you’re not in love. I dare you.

This salad has it all. It’s meant for people like me that want EVERYTHING on their salad. Light on the greens, heavy on the texture and flavor, please.

And this dressing. Let’s take a moment to appreciate it.

1. This citrus poppy seed dressing is made with 3 types of citrus fruit. We’ve got lemons, limes, and oranges.
2. The citrus flavor pairs beautifully with fresh berries.
3. Along with the citrus fruit, i’ve used a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise (olive oil mayo is a healthy option).
4. A couple tablespoons of honey (agave nectar is another option) helps balance out the tartness of the citrus fruit.
5. Light, flavorful extra virgin olive oil, ties this whole show together.
6. Poppy seeds, salt and pepper, and a little dijon mustard, pack this dressing with so much goodness.
7. This dressing is lower in calories than the store bought dressing.
8. Store bought dressing works, but if you’ve got 5 minutes to spare, this homemade poppy seed dressing is going to make your salad so much better. Like. Sooo much.
9. You won’t buy poppy seed dressing again.
10. BADA-BING-BADA-BOOM. Party in my mouth.

For those of you wondering on how to make this salad more protein packed, I would suggest adding shredded chicken. Cooked, store-bought rotisserie chicken is a quick, easy fix. But honestly, there’s so much going on in this salad, you really don’t even need it! The healthy fats from the avocado + almonds keep me full for a while.

This fresh and flavorful salad is perfect when it starts to get super hot outside. Tossing a few ingredients in a bowl and mixing a few ingredients for the dressing is all this requires. This recipe will make close to 4 side salads, but I usually serve it for 2 as a main dish.

Cool and refreshing berries with crunchy spinach, sliced almonds, and creamy avocados is the perfect meal after a day at the beach or even a desk lunch for work. Strawberries and blueberries are my favorites so I used those for my berry spinach salad. If you like raspberries and blackberries, those would be delicious too. Also, a diced green apple with this citrus dressing would be yum-yum. Crispy. turkey. bacon. Enough said.

The topping possibilities for this salad are endless! Try experimenting with your faves!

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Yield: 2 large or 4 side salads

Berry Spinach Salad + Citrus Poppyseed Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

This healthy, colorful berry spinach salad is jam packed with flavor! Sweet, juicy strawberries, bursting blueberries, crunchy almonds, and creamy avocado. Tossed in light citrus poppy seed dressing that's healthy. The most delicious summer berry spinach salad!

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Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons orange juice (fresh or store-bought)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons regular mayonnaise (or olive oil mayo)
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon honey (or agave nectar)
• 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• Salt + pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 5 cups of baby spinach
• 8 - 10 strawberries, quartered
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup (1 oz) sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup red onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled (blue cheese would be good too)
• 1 large haas avocado, diced

Instructions

For the dressing:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon, lime, and orange juices along with the dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and honey. Continue to whisk as you slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream. Add the poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the salad:

1. Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, until combined. Pour desired amount of dressing overtop and serve immediately.

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