I am so happy right now. Mother nature has taken a break from being way harsh and has decided to give us some comfortable weather. I hesitate to say good because there is the chance she’ll come and take it away from us. True, it has been rainy and sometimes even chilly but given what June and July had for us I think I will take it.
Also, let us take a moment to be in complete shock that it is August, like, when did that happen? I haven’t even been to a swimming pool or gotten some embarrassing sun tan. Is it possible that summer could almost be over??? I wont be down for long because I happen to enjoy fall the most out of all seasons. I cannot wait for all things pumpkin or the leaves to change color. I actually look forward to that crisp air and the clean smell of fall.
Sidebar – Did you see my last post about the Future of Cooking? If not you should check it out and provide your thoughts!
I realize that this discussion of fall is really not making any sense with this obvious summer themed salad I am showcasing. I hear ya, let’s stick to what brought us here in the first place.
I whipped this salad together for the Bastille Day party that my parents hosted. Check out the delish beignets I made as well. For some strange reason I was dead set on making a spinach salad with strawberries and goat cheese. It also had to have candied nuts of some sort. I dunno why this had to be the case but there was no changing my mind. In fact, I originally planned to just buy some candied or sweet nuts but found that nuts are stupidly expensive and even more so when they have been coated in some sort of goodness. I decided it would be much more effect to just make them myself and to tell you the truth they turned out even better than I hoped.
I have a culinary confession. I don’t know if I love nuts. I do know that I love nuts when they are honey roasted or covered in chocolate but that doesn’t mean I love them plain. I probably should be more open-minded about nuts but for this salad they are going to be coated in sugar and be delicious.
I didn’t know what to do for a dressing and because I am like all chefy now I knew I couldn’t just put together a pretty salad and then drown it in some bottled concoction. So I grabbed a bottle of fig infused vinegar and blended it with some fresh strawberries to make the perfect dressing. I mean I thought it was perfect so I have a feeling you will like it too!
This is a pretty easy summer salad and really you don’t have to make your own dressing or candy your own nuts but you can…
I sense some of you are probably thinking to yourselves “ya, no, I am going to buy those because who has time to make dressing and candied nuts”. Not surprisingly, this salad probably took no more than 15 minutes to make so no excuses people!!!
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Spinach (rinse even if it has been pre-rinsed)
- 1-2 Cups Strawberries Sliced
- 2 Tbsp. Goat Cheese Crumbled
- 1/2 Cup Candied Nuts (walnuts or pecans) (see below)
- 1/4 Cup Strawberry-Fig Vinaigrette (see below)
Instructions
Instructions For Candied Nuts:
- In a saucepan add equal parts sugar and water. Over medium heat stir until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved add your nuts and stir. Remove from heat and allow your nuts to cool.
Instructions for Strawberry-Fig Vinaigrette:
- Combine 2-3 strawberries in a small bowl with 3 Tbsp. fig infused vinegar and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice. You can also add 1 Tsp. of fresh cracked pepper. Add a 1/4 cup oil and blend until your strawberries are completely blended.
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