Looking for seasonal strawberry recipe ideas…that aren’t shortcake? Strawberry Spring Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette quenches your nutritional thirst with fresh, ripe strawberries and juicy red grapes, tossed in spring mix with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, and feta cheese in a citrus dressing. Eat this, and you have sweet and savory written all over your taste buds.
Strawberry Spring Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
This salad is loaded with flavor, yet it’s minimal and super simple to make. Fresh, juicy, ripe, strawberries are, of course, a major player in this salad, but they’re not the only rock stars. Red, juicy grapes and candied walnuts combined with the dried cranberries and feta cheese offer amazing textures and flavors that literally melt in your mouth.
You can buy candied walnuts at specialty markets, but if you want to save a little money and make them, it’s as simple as this:
How to make candied walnuts:
- 1/2 cup Walnuts
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar (or White Sugar)
Place WALNUTS and SUGAR in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar turns into a sticky liquid and coats the walnuts (under 5 minutes). Remove walnuts and set on a baking sheet to cool.
Of course you don’t have to make candied walnuts for this recipe…you could easily use plain old, delicious, walnuts (one of my favorite ingredients of all time). Or, you could buy the candied version on Amazon. Check out these Trader Joe’s Candied Walnuts…didn’t even know TJ’s carried a candied walnut.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for Strawberry Spring Salad:
- spring mix
- strawberries
- red grapes
- candied walnuts
- dried cranberries
- feta cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice
- honey or agave nectar
- Dijon
- Kosher salt
<h3>Here are the tools I use to make this magic happen:
- chef knife
- cutting board
- salad dressing jar
- mixing bowl
- stainless colander (to rinse fruit)
- salad hands or tongs
Check out my other well-loved salad recipes here on the blog! This Asian Quinoa Slaw Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette is always getting shared all over Pinterest. Even more popular is my Lemony Kale Chickpea Avocado Salad – it’s the perfect, chilled, vegan salad on a hot summer day. Also, this Eat The Rainbow Kale Beet Power Salad has grapes, beets and pomegranate…to name a few rainbow items.
* Note: This post has affiliate links and I get a small commission for your purchases…at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Kitchen Girl! Feel free to send me product questions…I’m happy to answer.
Yields 2 3-cup servings
Strawberries, grapes, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, feta, and mixed greens are tossed in a lemon dijon vinaigrette for a thirst-quenching summer salad.
15 minPrep Time
15 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 6 cups Spring Mix
- 1 cup Strawberries (sliced)
- 1 cup Red Grapes (halved)
- 1/2 cup Candied Walnuts (roughly chopped)
- 2 Tbsp Dried Cranberries (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese (crumbled)
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Honey (or Agave Nectar)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Pinch Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In a large, salad bowl, combine SPRING MIX, STRAWBERRIES, GRAPES, CANDIED WALNUTS, CRANBERRIES, and FETA CHEESE.
- In another bowl or jar, combine OLIVE OIL, LEMON JUICE, HONEY, DIJON, and SALT; whisk or shake until thoroughly combined; chill until ready to toss with salad just before serving.
Notes
This salad would be great with avocado and red onion too!
Traci Antonovich
About my recipes: Minimal meat & more plants!
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