Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Strawberry-Avocado Salad



I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love summer food! I love the freshness, the bright flavors and colors, and the fact that it's just feels cleaner and healthier. Don't get me wrong, nothing could ever replace my warm bowl of stew or dumplings when the weather is cold, but there is just something so great about a nice summer salad.

I bought some beautiful strawberries the other day, and if I've learned anything about berries, it's that you pretty much need to make sure they are eaten within twenty four hours of purchasing them, otherwise you may end up with the tragedy of them going bad before enjoying them. So I thought they would be delicious in a big green salad. I sweetened the strawberries with a bit of Splenda beforehand, just to really get the full contrast of sweet strawberries and tangy balsamic vinaigrette. And I know I put avocado in EVERYTHING, but it was the perfect creamy mediator between the two flavors. And for an extra treat, candied almonds to top it off! I really enjoyed this salad, never once missed the meat and felt so good when I was done. Ah, summer!

Strawberry-Avocado Salad

Ingredients

romaine lettuce
baby spinach
strawberries, sweetened if desired
avocado
balsamic vinaigrette
candied almonds (Combine sliced almonds with a few teaspoons of sugar in a dry saute pan, place on medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar melts completely over almonds, remove from heat.)

Directions

Toss your leaves with desired amount of dressing. Top salad with remaining ingredients and enjoy!

23 comments:

Jenn said...

That is one refreshingly good looking salad. Very summery. Love it. Plus it has two things that I love - strawberries and avocado.

Rachel said...

This looks like the perfect summer salad!!! Anything containing avocado is a "must try" for me :)

Barbara Bakes said...

I would love this salad. Thanks for the tip on making candied almonds!

Leslie said...

what a fresh and yummy summer salad!

Creative Classroom Core said...

Yum yum yum! Strawberries and avocados work so well together! Perfect and fresh for summer BBQs

chow and chatter said...

this salad looks delicious

theUngourmet said...

I have never had strawberries and avocados together. It sounds really great!

Katy ~ said...

Teresa, my mouth is watering for this salad. Oh my gosh does it ever look and sound wonderful!

And I love it that you love dumplings!!!

Reeni said...

A beautiful summertime salad! Love the strawberry and avocado combo!

Alissa said...

Ooooh! This looks so yummy! You are so creative, I would never have thought to combine avocados & strawberries...you are a genius!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Looks delish! You know what else would be awesome in there? aspinkle of blue cheese!
~ingrid

Btw, sorry I've been a slacker w/the commenting. I blame the kids!
~ingrid

Anonymous said...

avocado is such a great combo with strawberries. Creamy and rich against tart and light!

Elizabeth said...

This is an awesome combination! It is so light, fresh and perfect for the summer!

Coleens Recipes said...

How tasty!! I have just recently discovered the joys of fruit and greens together.

Donna-FFW said...

Refreshing, gorgeous, healthy all rolled into one meal. So colorful and pretty too. WINNER!

Maria said...

I love adding fruit to my salads. Gorgeous!

Melody said...

I LOVE this kind of sweet salad. Yours looks delicious!

Julie said...

Beautiful salad...very refreshing!

Heather S-G said...

For sure...avocado makes everything better!! This looks delicious...love the candied almonds, too :D

jor said...

yum yum yum! I LOVE salads!

pigpigscorner said...

Very refreshing! and it sure sounds delicious with strawberries and avocado!

Erica said...

This looks GREAT! You know I love a good salad and I haven't put strawberries in one in forever! Thanks for the reminder of how good this can be!!

Judy said...

really great combo of flavors here. thumbs up.