Strawberry Poppy Seed Blueberry Spinach Salad
A hand-tossed, detox and antioxidant boosting salad with crisp, organic baby spinach, sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries, chopped pecans, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and tossed with a strawberry poppy seed vinaigrette dressing.
Salads offer a lot of healthy vitamins and nutrients. It’s important fuel for the body. Salads don’t have to boring! I often hear from friends that salads “become boring.” Introducing other fresh fruits and vegetables can really freshen up an otherwise bland salad. Adding nuts, trying new cheeses and picking different salad dressings or making homemade vinaigrette will make salads enjoyable and exciting!
Spring is around the corner, which means BBQ dinners, potlucks, picnic, camping and beach lunches. This salad is great to bring along to any holiday gathering or simply to enjoy during a busy weekday. This ridiculously simply salad is a crowd-pleaser. Fruits and vegetables are such a great flavor combination. Not only are they juicy, summery and delicious, they’re a bona fide super food, too!
This fruit and spinach salad has a lot of fresh and satisfying ingredients topped with a savory and sweet strawberry poppy seed dressing. Fruits offer a wide variety of antioxidants which act as a detox. It’s the perfect salad to start the year off right.
Blueberries are said to soften dry skin, boost the brain by improving mental health, lower blood pressure, maintain healthy bones, help manage diabetes; just to name a few benefits.
If you’re not a strawberry fan, you should be! Strawberries boost immunity, fight wrinkles, fight bad cholesterol, reduce inflammation, regulate blood pressure, aid in weight management and may help to prevent cancer.
Eating spinach is a great source of iron. The benefits of eating spinach include lowering blood pressure, bone healthy, promote healthy skin and hair, cancer prevention, asthma prevention; just to name a few benefits. Spinach has a great source of health benefits. This low calorie food is great to include in meals and will will satisfy any hunger craving.
Pecan nuts are a rich source of minerals, vitamins and protein. This buttery nut helps to decreases bad cholesterol and helps increase good cholesterol. Pecans are a great source of vitamin-E and have anti-inflammatory benefits, reduce blood pressure with magnesium, strengthen the immune system and include anti-aging benefits.
Salads taste great and include many healthy benefits such a vital minerals and vitamins. This super food packed salad is one of my favorites. This salad will definitely leave you craving for more!
Strawberry Poppy Seed Blueberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic baby spinach
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 cup strawberries (, sliced)
- 1/3 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
- For the Dressing
- *Marzetti Simply Dressed Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette ((OR))
- 1 package ((16 ounces) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed)
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Place baby spinach, blueberries and sliced strawberries in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the top of the salad and toss with pecans and cheese.
- For the Dressing
- Use store bought Marzetti Simply Dressed Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette or follow these directions to make your own*
- Place the strawberries in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Add lemon juice and sugar; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add vinegar and oil in a steady stream; process until thickened. Stir in poppy seeds. Transfer to a large bowl or jar; cover and store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.
8 Comments
Lorna
02/15/2015 at 4:38 pmCall me antiquated, but it was only last summer that I discovered the moreish combination of berries in an otherwise savoury salad. In all fairness, it probably wasn’t long before that when salads became an acceptable part of my diet. I was a fussy teenager.
This sounds pretty fantastic, and I can’t wait to try it with the gorgonzola!
Debbie Rodrigues
02/22/2015 at 12:47 pmFirst of all, your pictures caught my eyes and then the recipe. Oh the recipe..
Everything that I love: spinach, berries, strawberries… I will surely give it a try and let you know how it went.
Jessica Knott
03/05/2015 at 2:30 pmThanks, Debbie!
Natashalh
02/25/2015 at 7:54 pmLooks like a tasty salad! I would have to swap the gorgonzola for feta at my house, though. I like that you used frozen strawberries – they are absurdly expensive where I live right now (we’re talking $9+ a box!). Visiting from the DIY Dreamer. =)
Jessica Knott
02/25/2015 at 10:16 pmThanks so much!
Cathy
03/02/2015 at 9:53 pmI ammm so ready for salad season and this is exactly the kind of salad I would eat! Looks great 🙂 Say hello from the create link & inspire party!
Cathy
carine
02/24/2016 at 10:04 pmthis looks delicious! added to my easter recipes round up 🙂
Jessica Knott
02/25/2016 at 12:48 amThank you, I’ll share it some this week!