Spinach Salad With Strawberries

Submitted by HeatherFeather

"I originally saw this prepared on Cooking Live for a 4th of July special years ago, and tried it immediately. It was a huge hit and I have since made this numerous times. This is a wonderful salad, and is one of my favorite versions of this type of salad. I used champagne vinegar and a splash of raspberry vinegar. Dress the salad right before serving or else it will wilt dramatically. I serve this throughout the summer months, but it is also nice for Valentine's Day."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• For Spiced Pecans

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 egg white
• 3⁄4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

• For Dressing

• 1 cup safflower oil or 1 cup canola oil
• 1⁄3 1/3 cup raspberry vinegar or 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup

• For Salad

• 6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, washed & dried (about 1 bunch)
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced (or other colorful fruit)
• 3⁄4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

directions

1. Make spiced pecans: Beat egg white until very frothy, but not stiff.
2. Add remaining ingredients, excluding pecans. Now add pecans and mix to coat.
3. Spread pecans on baking sheet in single layer and bake in a preheated 200 degree oven for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
4. Let cool completely.
5. For dressing, shake together all ingredients.
6. Toss together salad ingredients.
7. Toss dressing with salad just before serving (or leave salad dry and serve the dressing on the side), sprinkle dressed salad with pecans.

Reviews

[pktgeorgia]

I made this salad a year ago for a dinner party we were having and it was a HUGE success. Thank you so much for sharing!