This colorful spring salad calls for seasonal dark greens and sweet strawberries and the citrus dressing adds an interesting touch- all naturally gluten free of course!
Fresh Greens are prevalent in the spring and fall. If you belong to a CSA ( Community Agriculture) or frequent the farmer's markets, a variety of fresh greens should be available right now.
Otherwise, local supermarkets are usually well stocked.
I like to eat a raw salad for lunch. This salad has great eye appeal, lots of crunch, and interesting flavors. It has a wide variety of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, it adds a nice fiber boost to your day to help you detoxify a little.
I eat this salad with a variety of dressings, but I particularly like the orange cashew dressing with this salad. It is light and delicious and just a tablespoon or two dresses the salad perfectly!
As with any salad, you can add or eliminate ingredients to your liking or use what you have available in the refrigerator.
Out of strawberries? Substitute grapes, blackberries, or blueberries
Don't have sunflower seeds? Try pumpkin or sesame seeds.
Can't find dandelion greens? Use baby spinach
Can't find dandelion greens? Use baby spinach
A good salad enhances a gluten free meal. Salads don't have to be boring!!
Author: Judee Algazi of Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: None
Serves : One ( double or triple depending on who you are feeding)
Ingredients: Salad for one
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/2 cup of broccoli slaw ( I bought this in the supermarket and it was mixed with carrot and cabbage)
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 large or 2 medium strawberries sliced
1/4 or 1/2 of an avocado, diced
1 tablespoon of raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of chopped dark greens ( I used dandelion greens- or substitute spinach, kale, or endive)
Ingredients for orange Cashew Dressing
2 seedless oranges, peeled and squeezed for the juice
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least half hour or more and drained well
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
Directions for the dressing:
Combine the three ingredients in a blender until smooth. Use a Tablespoon on each salad
Also Linking to Souper Sundays where anyone can link a soup, salad, or sammie
Ingredients for orange Cashew Dressing
2 seedless oranges, peeled and squeezed for the juice
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least half hour or more and drained well
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
Directions for the dressing:
Combine the three ingredients in a blender until smooth. Use a Tablespoon on each salad
We eat lots of salads too. My husband can't stand cooked veggies, so I usually fill his plates 2/3 full with salads :-)) he will love this fresh and yummy spring salad, Judee.
ReplyDeleteRaw is supposed to be the healthiest- so good for your husband
DeleteWe eat a ton of salads too -- I just made a barley one for lunches. I like the sound of this with the strawberries and cashew dressing.
ReplyDeleteYes the cashew dressing adds some substance to an otherwise very light salad
DeleteYour salad photos look nice and fresh. I hate the spinach-strawberry salads people bring to potlucks where the strawberries are way too old ... and it seems to happen all the time.
ReplyDeletebest from mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Mae,
DeleteI don't mix the strawberries into the salad. I keep the strawberries on the outside of the bowl so they don't get mushy.. It seems to work for a short duration. Not sure how they would hold up at a pot luck especially if it's outdoors in the sun!
At first glance on the first photo I thought you used orzo. Looks like a wonderful salad. I’ll have to bookmark this because I like your suggestions for substitutions
ReplyDeleteLooks so appetizing and fresh (I'll pin it). Love salads and eat two a day.
ReplyDeleteNancy,
DeleteI always appreciate when someone pins my recipe and gives it visibility. Thank you and thanks for stopping by
What a pretty, refreshing salad. Perfect for spring!! Thanks for the recipe. :)
ReplyDeleteSalad's good at any time of year. Have a great week. Cheers from Carole's Chatter
ReplyDeleteThis looks so refreshing! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the fan favorites at The Sunday Showcase from the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week's Showcase so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/sunday-showcase-make-pretty-monday-8-48/ Happy Holiday Weekend! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
ReplyDeleteI love your Orange Cashew Dressin for this delicious salad! Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday!
ReplyDeleteMiz Helen
Such a bright and colorful salad. You have me craving strawberries! Thanks for sharing it with Souper Sundays this week. ;-)
ReplyDelete