We are excited to bring you this recipe from Sherri Beauchamp, the wellness educator and personal chef from www.theseasonalkitchen.com. She has been conducting cooking classes and coaching many customers in the Charlotte area and often features several of our products in her recipes. She shared this vinaigrette recipe which is one of her favorites as well as the serving suggestion with spinach salad, fresh strawberries and avocado. Using a blender gives this vinaigrette a “creamy” texture without the added calories of real cream. Season your vinaigrette to taste adding extra salt, garlic, pepper or balsamic. We look forward to more recipes from Chef Sherri. Check out her website, she’s a certified holistic health coach and gluten practitioner.
INGREDIENTS
FOR VINAIGRETTE:
- 1/3 cup of Olive This! Basil Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoons Olive This! Grapefruit Balsamic Vinegar
- 1½ cups of fresh strawberries
- 2 teaspoons lime juice (less than one lime)
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons chopped chives (not pictured above)
FOR SALAD:
- 1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves
- ½ red onion
- 2 avocados, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced thinly
- 1/3 cup sliced or slivered almonds
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Wash and trim the 1½ cups of fresh strawberries. Peel the garlic clove and squeeze out the 2 teaspoons of fresh lime juice.
To a blender, add the strawberries, garlic clove, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon (or more) salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Blend on medium-high until well pureed and “creamy”.
After blending the vinaigrette, chop your 2 teaspoons of chives and stir into the dressing.
This is your basil-strawberry vinaigrette. Set aside and combine your salad ingredients.
Wash the spinach under cold water and dry in a salad spinner.
Slice the ½ red onion finely. Cut the two avocados into bite-sized pieces. Slice the 1 cup of fresh strawberries into thin, bite-sized pieces. Measure out the ½ cup of crumbled feta cheese and the 1/3 cup of sliced or slivered almonds.
Combine all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Pour the basil-strawberry vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and toss the salad well. Note: Some prefer more or less dressing so you may want to start with only about ¾ of the vinaigrette at first and toss. You can always add more if you desire. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Have a comment? We’d love to hear from you. Have you tried this dish? Do you have a variation that you think others will enjoy? Leave us a comment below (providing your email address is not necessary).