A simple strawberry and spinach salad that’s a cinch to throw together and the perfect balance of sweet and tangy thanks to those fresh strawberries and a yummy maple balsamic dressing. Vegan and gluten free.
I am in love with this balsamic strawberry salad at the moment; it’s a bit of a different way to use up all of the delicious strawberries that are currently in season, rather than just enjoying them in breakfast or desserts. The sweet but refreshing flavour of the strawberries works perfectly with the tangy maple balsamic dressing!
Just looking at all the beautiful fresh ingredients that go into the salad, you know it’s going to taste divine.
Strawberries in savoury recipes are a very good idea – trust me. Use them like you might use pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries in a salad; they give that nice little burst of sweetness. Plus they’re so colourful and will make the dish just pop.
In this salad they provide such a beautiful contrast against the green baby spinach leaves and zucchini ribbons.
To make this salad a bit more substantial plus add some crunch and texture, I’ve added in chickpeas and a generous scattering of seeds (pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds). Legumes and seeds are some of my favourite plant-powered salad ingredients. You’ve got fibre, protein and healthy fats all in there!
The salad works wonderfully as a side dish – think of serving it alongside some grilled meat or fish, plus some baked potatoes or maybe some crusty good quality bread. Yum. Keep it vegan by adding some quinoa and maybe a few baked tofu cubes.
The salad is finished off with a really simple dressing, all you need is:
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- maple syrup
- a pinch of salt (essential!)
If you haven’t tried strawberries and balsamic vinegar together before, you are in for a treat. SO GOOD.
Tell me if you make my Balsamic Strawberry and Spinach Salad! Leave a comment below or take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you can find me over at @moniquecormacknutrition 🙂
Balsamic Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 120 grams baby spinach
- 1 zucchini
- 1 can chickpeas – 400 gram can
- 1 punnet strawberries – 250 gram punnet
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Instructions
- Wash the baby spinach, strawberries and zucchini. Peel the zucchini into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Slice the strawberries.
- Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and salt (or shake together in a small jar).
- Layer the salad into a bowl – spinach, zucchini, chickpeas, strawberries and seeds. Pour over the dressing and toss. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Strawberries and spinach is one of my favorite flavor combos. 🙂 This salad sounds delicious, thanks for sharing it with us at Savoring Saturdays!
Thank you for stopping by Raia! Berries + spinach sounds odd at first but I agree it’s such a great combo 🙂