Berry Spinach Salad with Spicy Maple Sunflower Seeds:
Summertime salad featuring fresh raspberries, blueberries, spinach and goat cheese. Toss all that in homemade balsamic vinaigrette for the perfect summer side salad! Recipe yields 3 medium side salads (as shown), so multiple as necessary. The spinach wilts quickly once it comes into contact with vinaigrette, so store them separately until you’re ready to eat.
I don’t have enough simple salad recipes on this blog. That’s the verdict I came to while flipping through my own salad archives looking for inspiration. Meal-in-a-bowl salad situations are plentiful, but simple side salads are lacking. Sometimes you’re tasked with making the green salad for a summer potluck and you want to make something special, you know?
Here’s my summer side salad solution. Chopped spinach, plenty of fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries, but chopped strawberries would be another great option), tangy goat cheese and a zippy balsamic dressing.
Combine all that with some skillet-toasted, candied maple sunflower seeds and you have a fantastic summer side. Just be sure to wait until you’re ready to eat before you toss the dressing with the rest of the salad, since the spinach wilts relatively quickly on contact.
- 1/3 Cup Sunflower Seeds (I used raw seeds, roasted are probably fine)
- 1.5 Teaspoons Maple Syrup
- Pinch salt (if your sunflower seeds are unsalted)
- Dash Cayenne Optional,(if you like spice)
- 5 Ounces Baby Spinach rougly chopped
- 1.5 Cups Total raspberries, blueberries and/or chopped strawberries
- 1/3 Cup Crumbled Goat Cheese (about 2 ounces)
- 3 Tablespoons Ekin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon Maple Syrup
- Salt and Pepper To taste
- To prepare the sunflower seeds, warm a small non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the sunflower seeds. Let the sunflower seeds warm up a bit, then pour in the maple syrup, a pinch of salt and a tiny dash of cayenne pepper, if desired. Toast the seeds while stirring constantly until most of the maple syrup has evaporated and the sunflower seeds are turning lightly golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a plate to cool.
- In a serving bowl, combine the spinach, berries, crumbled goat cheese and sunflower seeds. In a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified.
- Just before serving, drizzle in enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the leaves (you might have leftover dressing) and gently toss (careful with those delicate raspberries!). Serve immediately.
