Recipe Review: Spinach and Strawberry Salad

It's officially spring now, which means there's nothing more appetizing than a light and refreshing salad. Except maybe some sweet and juicy strawberries. You know where this is going...

I needed to make something for a church potluck on Sunday, and since I didn't want to go to the grocery store for the fourth time in a week (there are only two of us, after all!), I decided to use what I had in my kitchen. Publix had great deals on strawberries and baby spinach last week, so I had plenty of both in the fridge. The idea hit me: I could make something beautiful and healthy without going to the store or even turning on a kitchen appliance! So, I searched Southern Living online (always a great source of recipes) for a spinach and strawberry salad. Here are the simple and scrumptious results.

Not the best picture, but we were in a hurry to get set up.
The strawberries kept sinking to the bottom!

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Prep: 10 min.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

• 2  (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach
• 2  pints fresh strawberries, sliced
• Sesame-Poppy Seed Dressing
• Toppings: chopped cooked bacon, chopped fresh broccoli, blanched sugar snap peas, sliced red onion

Combine baby spinach and strawberries in a large bowl; toss with 1/2 cup Sesame-Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving. Serve with remaining dressing and desired toppings.

Sesame-Poppy Seed Dressing

Prep: 5 min.; Chill: 24 hrs.
This recipe goes with Spinach-and-Strawberry Salad

Yield: Makes about 2 1/2 cups

• 1  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  cider vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  minced onion
• 1/2  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  vegetable oil
• 1/4  cup  sesame seeds, toasted
• 2  tablespoons  poppy seeds

Pulse first 5 ingredients in a blender 2 or 3 times or until smooth. With blender running, add oil in a slow, steady stream; process until smooth. Stir in seeds; chill 24 hours.

Shirley Delcour, Knoxville, Tennessee, Southern Living, MARCH 2005

Wow, was this fantastic! And incredibly easy. The most time-consuming part was cutting up the strawberries, and that went quickly. For my toppings I used sliced red onions and a little chopped bacon. Deeelicious! Although it would have been almost as good without the bacon in case you'd like to leave it out. The dressing recipe does make about three times the necessary amount and calls for a ton of poppy seeds and sesame seeds. In the future, I'll halve the total recipe and cut back on the seeds - they make the dressing look ugly when served on the side.

This salad is definitely a keeper! What are your favorite recipes for spring?