It’s been pretty hot on the West Coast. I am not complaining because I know the days are getting shorter and the dreary days are ahead. We have been eating a lot of fresh salads with ingredients from the garden. Our garden is overflowing with summer produce, I wish it could last all year round. This summer berry spinach salad is easy to make, refreshing, and delicious, perfect for those hot summer nights.
Most of ingredients from this salad came straight from our garden. When we moved into our house three years ago, having room for a vegetable garden was on the must have list. We are still learning and I love the excitement on my girls face when they watch plants and/or seeds turn into amazing summer produce with a burst of flavour. The girls have been helping me with the garden, and are especially excited when the vegetables and fruit are ready to be picked. Planting a garden is a great way to teach kids where their food comes. Research shows kids that are involved in their food are more likely to eat more vegetables.
To make it heartier I added quinoa and avocado. I love adding herbs to salads, they definitely give them flavour. I added mint and topped the salad with crumbled feta cheese. Finally, I dressed it with a simple homemade salad dressing. Finally, you can make this salad a meal by adding salmon or a chicken breast on top. If you prefer to keep it vegetarian I would add tofu or chickpeas.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of spinach, washed
- 2 cups strawberries, washed and sliced
- 1 cup of quinoa, cooked
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, washed & sliced in half
- 1 avocado
- 1 handful of mint chopped
- 1/2 cup of feta crumbled
- Dressing:
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijion mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine spinach, strawberries, quinoa, avocado and mint in a larger bowl.
- Toss lightly with salad dressing
- crumbled get cheese on top.
Enjoy!