Like a lot of food bloggers, I started blogging when my first little baby boy was born. It was a good way to keep everyone informed about all the important milestones – like the first time he slept more than 2 inches away from me, wore the color green, or tooted and smiled about it. Because these things are a BIG DEAL with the first baby!
And because I was sooo hungry all the time in those weeks/months after he was born, I started baking… a lot! I couldn’t really handle going out to eat with a newborn very easily, but somehow I could satisfy those cravings by getting creative in my kitchen while the little guy slept nearby. I started to post those recipes as well, and seven years later, Lovely Little Kitchen (my fourth child) was born!
This Strawberry and Spinach Salad With Almond Vinaigrette is what I used to make for myself for lunch a lot in those days. It was quick and healthy, but it felt a little fancy. I think I felt better about being in my yoga pants and tank top 24 hours round the clock because at least I fixed myself a nice little lunch. The house wasn’t as clean as it was pre-baby, I wasn’t sure if I showered today or if that was yesterday, but hey, I’m not eating another bowl of cereal for lunch!
This fruity green salad is perfect for little girlfriend get togethers and showers. You can have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go, and then assemble it last minute. You can also add slices of grilled chicken to make it more filling and serve it as a main dish. This salad screams chick-food but my husband actually really likes it too!
When I make this for myself to eat for lunch for the week, I like to keep my vinaigrette in a mason jar so I can just keep it in the fridge and then shake it up before I dress my salad. I’ll get about six salads out of one recipe for the almond vinaigrette.
My favorite part about this salad is definitely the sugared almonds. They really make this salad fabulous!
And just for fun, this is the picture of this salad I posted to my old blog years ago. Yeah, it’s a little underexposed and not very sharply focused either. But I was super proud of this picture at the time. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m glad I’ve made some improvement in my photography over the years!
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Strawberry and Spinach Salad With Almond Vinaigrette
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Strawberry and Spinach Salad with Almond Vinaigrette is easy, fruity, healthy, nutty, simple and green. You’ll love it!
Ingredients
Almond Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Sugared Almonds
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- dash of salt
Strawberry Spinach Salad
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
- 2 tablespoons Feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons sugared almonds
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, combine oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stirring frequently, heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add almond extract and remove from heat.
- Cool to room temperature before serving.
- I like to keep mine in a small mason jar, so that I can shake it with the lid on before dressing my salad.
Sugared Almonds
- In a small nonstick pan, combine almonds and sugar over medium high heat. Stirring frequently (don’t walk away), toast the almonds until the sugar begins to melt. When it is completely dissolved and coating the almonds, remove them from the pan onto a piece of wax paper. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, and allow to cool.
To Assemble Salad
- Onto your bed of spinach, sprinkle strawberries, Feta cheese, and sugared almonds. I like to use about 1 tablespoon of the dressing for my salad, and then mix well so everything is coated in the dressing.
Notes
The ingredients for this salad are listed for one serving, except the vinaigrette and the sugared almonds, which will make about 6 single serving salads.
Chloe @ foodlikecake says
I love everything about this salad! The strawberries, the almonds, the spinach. 🙂 Yum!
Julie says
It really is a perfect combo! Thanks Chloe!
Rae says
Looks delightful, making for friends tomorrow.
Katya says
Hi Julie! I started following you recently and let me just tell you your images/pictures are amazing! I think we are all work in progress and it’s amazing to see how we grow by just a simple picture from the past 🙂 It’s a good thing.
Salad looks delish too! We are on the east coast so we are just now seeing more of strawberries here.
Julie says
Thank you for your kind words Katya. Glad you found me!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
Healthy salad, perfect for me right now, I am trying to lose some weight:) Delicious!
Julie says
Thanks Ilona. I like this salad because it’s good for me, but doesn’t taste too healthy if you know what I mean!
Annie @Maebells says
I have never tried an almond vinaigrette but it sounds lovely! I think I will have to give it a try this weekend!
Julie says
You’ll love it Annie!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
Wow, so glad to have come across your site Julie. I love that you call your blog your fourth child. So true that it feels like that sometimes. I have never seen a dressing like this before. I can’t wait to try it. I love almond extract, but I wouldn’t have thought to add it to a savory dish. So cool.
Julie says
This really is one of my favorite salads, Katie! Glad you found me too! Hope you enjoy.
Camille says
Found this salad on Pinterest and made it today for lunch! It was so delicious. I know I’ll be making this quite often!
Julie says
Glad you liked it! One of my favorites…
jeri says
OMG!!. I have been looking for this recipe for several years. I happen to be going through my bookmarks and lo and behold…here it is!!!! I made this for a party a long time ago…almost every woman there came up and asked for this recipe. This salad is so good!
So glad I found it again!!!!!!
Julie says
Glad you found it! This is definitely one of my all time favorite salads!