Strawberry Spinach Salad

Wait to make the salad with in-season strawberries: the sweet tang of the fruit contrasts beautifully with the slight bitterness of spinach. After you try this spring version, use the recipe as a pattern to create your own seasonal combinations!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 oz Maytag Blue Cheese

1 pound of in-season ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced into bite-sized pieces

1 6 oz bag of washed baby spinach leaves

handful of toasted pecans*

In a wide salad bowl, crumble the blue cheese into the olive oil and beat with a fork until well mixed. Toss in the strawberries and coat evenly, then the spinach a handful at a time, mixing well after each addition. Top with the nuts and serve.

With some whole wheat rolls or a baguette, this salad is enough for a light dinner for two.

*Instead of toasting nuts, try drying them for a better crunch. Set the oven on 250, then spread two generous handfuls of nuts on a foil covered cookie sheet. Put in the oven and occasionally stir the nuts with a spatula to make sure they don’t burn. Depending on the type of nut, drying should take 20 minutes or so. Try walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. (Almonds, for some reason, may take up to an hour to toast.) These are great for a “little something” to have with a drink.

Theme and Variations

• For a zingy winter variation, try thin slices of a Granny Smith Apple with a ½ cup of dried apricots, cut into quarters.

• For another winter combo, toss together sections from two oranges, half a fennel bulb thinly sliced and some feta cheese crumbles.

• In the fall, slice a red pear into sections and add a quarter cup of dried currents. Replace the pecans with walnuts.