Introducing my new favorite summer salad: Strawberry Spinach Salad, with Blueberries, Mango, Avocado, and Cashew nuts, with a Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing.
This salad has become a new favorite in my family, and we make it all the time.
This salad is colorful and refreshing like summer itself, and the dressing is super delicious! I like the dressing on the sweeter side, which for me means 4 tablespoons of brown sugar in this recipe, but feel free make it less or more sweet (by adding/subtracting the amount of brown sugar), depending on how you like it!
I love the colors of this salad!
Brown sugar is essential in this salad dressing – when combined with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, it’s what makes this dressing so flavorful and tasty. The mustard powder provides just the right amount of “kick”. A little bit of onion powder and garlic powder (or garlic salt) creates even more flavor!
Do not add the dressing to the salad until serving time, otherwise the spinach will wilt quickly. Add the dressing right before you’re ready to serve the salad! Also, add just enough dressing to coat the leaves – don’t pour all of the dressing into the salad at once (it could be too much for your taste) – you don’t have to use all of the dressing – let your taste be your guide!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- garlic salt or garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- one package (10 oz) fresh spinach (about 10 cups of torn leaves)
- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
- 1 cup avocado, chopped
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 mango, sliced
- 1/4 cup cashews
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, and whisk together well. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can serve the dressing immediately or you can cover it and chill for an hour.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients, except the cashew nuts. Add the dressing to the salad and toss. Sprinkle cashew nuts on top of the salad.
