Honeyed Strawberry, Avocado, and Almond Salad
At this point I feel like I’m getting a reputation among my friends… a reputation for being the person who always brings the salad to the dinner party or cookout. Here’s the thing, though: salads are not boring if you do ’em right. I like to load mine with all sorts of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and nice cheese. I’m also a fan of making my own dressing, which, on top of being better for you, adds so much more flavor and depth than your usual store-bought variety. (But if you are using a store-bought, my favorite brand is Briannas, which I’ve mentioned before in a similar recipe.)
I threw together one of my huge salads when I hosted our Bachelorette League at my place last week. Since I was making a big amount and I was a little crunched for time after work, I had my man help me out. And by “my man” I don’t mean my boyfriend Rob. I mean my man Joe. My man TRADER JOE. I got everything I needed from him for this dinner (including a bunch of cheap yet delicious wine, not pictured). Love u forever, TJs.
Honeyed Strawberry, Avocado, and Almond Salad
4 cups of your favorite greens – I like using spinach or a “power greens” mix (usually a combination of baby kale, chard, spinach, etc.)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup strawberries, quartered
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4oz honey chevre (goat cheese), crumbled
1/2 cup slivered almonds – I used honey-roasted ones I found at TJs, but you could use normal OR if you’re feeling ambitious, candy your own!
1 avocado, cubed
If you’re not keeping it vegetarian – try adding chicken-apple sausage. I topped this salad with Trader Joe’s all natural sweet apple chicken sausage (cooked and cut into coins) – it was an excellent addition.
Dressing:
1/2c plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon poppyseeds
1 shallot, chopped
Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
Throw all your dressing components in a food processor until blended together! Add more honey, salt, pepper, etc. to taste. Feel free to play with the proportions of yogurt/vinegar to get to your desired texture.
After you get the dressing to your liking and you’ve prepped and chopped all the salad ingredients, just throw it all together! Crunchy, fresh, sweet, and creamy. Doesn’t get easier than that.
For more healthy recipes, cocktails, food travel, and restaurant reviews, check out ES Emily’s individual blog, A Time to Kale, or tweet her @emilyteachout.
