Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Blackberries

This spinach salad with fruit is an old favourite & one of my daughter’s all time fav! It comes to me from my friend Nora probably over 25 years ago….

This salad can be pretty flexible with the ingredients. The original calls for spinach, strawberries & roasted slivered almonds. Certainly if anyone has an allergy to any of the ingredients, it is easily adapted. Leave in what you like & take out what you don’t, & add anything to replace it. You can add any berry or even dried fruit. The nuts are optional but they add a nice crunch.

This is a sweet spinach salad because the dressing contains quite a bit of sugar, but you can adjust the amount of sugar if you want. I have added the least amount suggested in the original recipe

Here is the recipe

Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Blackberries

Ingredients   ***serves 6 sides. You can increase the amount of spinach & other ingredients easily, The dressing is too much for the amount of salad in this recipe so you will have leftover dressing or enough if you want to add more spinach…

6 oz baby spinach, washed, trimmed if needed…if the stems are really long, I take them off…& dried

1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds, cool  *** again just leave out if there is an allergy

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup blackberries *** I just love blackberries so I add them when they are available & sweet

Salad Dressing 

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp sesame seeds *** JUST OMIT THEM IF YOU HAVE AN ALLERGY. IT WILL NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE DRESSING!!!!

1 tbsp poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp chopped onion

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Method

1.  I toast my almonds in a small dry skillet on medium heat, but you have to watch them very closely. Stir often once they start to brown, they burn very easily. Set aside & cool
2. Put all of the salad ingredients into a bowl big enough so that you can toss it all together
3. In a jar, mix the salad dressing ingredients together & shake well
4. Pour desired amount of dressing over the salad & toss

You can prepare the salad dressing ahead.. but if you have stored it in the fridge, bring it to room temperature, then shake again to combine before using

Enjoy!