Spinach Strawberry Balsamic Bleu Cheese Salad
"My family (elderly parents included) were too busy eating and "mmmm-ing" and "oooo-ing" to initially comment. When they finally finished, each of them declared that this was the best salad they had ever eaten. Truly a texture delight, it is also a perfect blend of sweet, sour, crunchy, smooth and all around delicious. The dressing is sweet, so you don't want to "over dress" your salad. You may change this salad by exchanging mandarin oranges, blueberries, craisins, or other fruit of choice for the strawberries, Although I prefer almonds or pecans, you can use walnuts or sunflower seeds. And substituting good goat cheese for the bleu cheese is also another variation. No substitution has ever been bad in my estimation."
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 10
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 1 lb fresh spinach, rinsed and dried well
- 1 quart strawberry, cleaned, hulled and sliced
- 1⁄3 cup slivered almonds or 1/3 cup pecans, toasted
- 1⁄4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon shallot, very finely minced
- 1⁄2 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
directions
- In small bowl mix together olive oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, shallot and sugar.
- Whisk in teaspoon of Dijon mustard until dressing is smooth. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before using.
- In large bowl, combine spinach, strawberries, nuts, and cheese.
- If you are sure you will be using all of the spinach salad, dress salad lightly immediately before serving. If you will have some salad left over (which rarely happens in my family) allow each individual to dress their own salad. It is a sweet dressing so a little goes a long way.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
NewNerdMom
Salt Lake City, Utah
Although the kind of cooking I was raised on and most enjoy would best be described as down-home, Southern comfort food, that is not my history in the the least. My mother came from Wyoming rather than the deep south, but she is a wonderful cook and an expert at comfort food.? We always had someone extra at our dinner table as a kid, so I learned how to cook for a crowd.? My husband and two kids tease me about cooking for the 5th regiment, but they all seem to enjoy it. Although I love to cook, I also love to perform in and teach Theatre. That means there are many times when my two passions don't allow enough time for one another.? It's rather difficult to be in the classroom all day teaching theatre, have rehearsals after school, and often be at a theatre by 6:30 for a performance call and still create the kind of meals I truly enjoy cooking. Until I can find a way to marry these two passions, I enjoy collecting and creating recipes and trying them out on my family and friends.
