Spring Greens & Strawberry Salad + Maple Vinaigrette
Last week I sat down and planned out my life for the next 6-8 weeks. I wrote down all of the things I wanted to get done (both online and offline) before the baby gets here and thoughtfully assigned each week its tasks.
Over an hour later I looked at my schedule which contains, among other things, the rest of the Staying Whole Series, six “maternity leave” blog posts, 10 days worth of frozen dinners, a painted bedroom, several book reviews, my 4-year-old’s birthday, and I suddenly got very overwhelmed.
And lazy. So I plopped myself on the couch, finished off a container of Nutella (with a spoon) and watched a couple episodes of Chopped.
Along with being apathetic and lazy, did I mention my sweet tooth is out of control this time around? Maybe that’s why I love this vinaigrette so much. In my defense, I did cut the amount of maple syrup in half. (The original amount was double what it is in the recipe below — good grief!) It’s become one of my favorite salad dressings and is fantastic with a simple green salad with strawberries.
Spring Greens & Strawberry Salad + Maple Vinaigrette
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Maple Vinaigrette:
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to tasteFor the Salad:
5-6 fresh strawberries, tops removed and sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles
12 ounces of spring greens salad mixDirections:
To make the vinaigrette:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the basil and mustard. Whisk in the vinegar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and garlic. Slowly pour the oil into the mixture while whisking. Whisk for about 15-20 seconds until mixture has emulsified and thickened slightly. Whisk in salt and pepper, adjusting to suit your tastes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing.)To make the salad:
Toss about 1/3 cup of dressing with the salad greens and divide among plates. Add strawberry slices, nuts, and cheese over top.From Perry's Plate
Dressing adapted slightly from the Jackson Hole Cooks! cookbook
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Liz @ Blog is the New Black — April 20, 2012 @ 4:45 am
Fresh & delicious! Wow!
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cassie — April 20, 2012 @ 6:59 am
This maple vinaigrette is lovely, can’t wait to try it!
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Katherines Corner — April 20, 2012 @ 7:41 am
Yum. I shared your Parisian tuna sandwich on my blog today. Hugs!! http://KatherinesCorner.com
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Captain Micah — April 20, 2012 @ 7:58 am
My goodness, this looks so good. Since I’m not a goat cheese (too gamey?) fan or like rotten cheese, (sorry, Bleu), I would go for feta on this one.
And I’ve been craving salads and fruits and veggies like no other this past month. I doubt it has ANYTHING to do with the high intake of Easter candy. Phew. Thank goodness THAT is over! And the clearance sales for said candy are also over…
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Cookie and Kate — April 20, 2012 @ 8:25 am
Maple dressing?! This sounds so good, Natalie! Can’t wait to try it. Don’t overwork yourself now, everything will be just fine!
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Natalie replied: — April 20th, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
Heh… believe me, I’m not. I just get ambitious in my head and end up on the couch later. :)
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — April 20, 2012 @ 11:57 am
Aww yum!! What a salad!!
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Becca J — April 20, 2012 @ 12:00 pm
This salad combination is one of my favorites with pretty much any kind of sweet-tangy dressing. And Amen! to the pre-baby planning. I went crazy with the freezer meals, even had a typed up list in Word, just in case I died in labor and W had to feed himself and couldn’t figure out what was in the freezer, and we still have a couple of things in the freezer, 4 months later. Good luck with the planning! (Book reviews, though? What’s that all about?)
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Natalie replied: — April 20th, 2012 @ 9:42 pm
In case you died!? Oh man… I have those thoughts, too. It wasn’t so bad the first time, but the thought of dying in labor and leaving children behind is more than I can handle. And ya… book reviews. I do reviews occasionally over at Reading for Sanity (i’ve linked over there a few times). Since three out of the four contributors are having babies all within a month of each other we decided to divide up the summer and have everything finished before the bambinos get here. That means I’m actually going to be posting there more than I usually do. Ha.
Jill — April 20, 2012 @ 1:53 pm
I was just looking for a new salad recipe and then saw this. Perfect! Can’t wait to try it out!
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Natalie replied: — April 20th, 2012 @ 9:45 pm
Voila! Glad I could help :)
Joanne — April 20, 2012 @ 6:00 pm
I think I’m having sympathy sweet tooth cravings also…I just get through a day without NEEDING something sweet (and NO I’m not pregnant). I think I need to start satisfying my cravings with salads…it’s the only way my skinny jeans will still fit once this all passes. Love this!
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Natalie replied: — April 20th, 2012 @ 9:43 pm
Aw… skinny jeans. *wistful sigh*
Dea-chan — April 20, 2012 @ 6:22 pm
You’ll probably want more vinegar than that though, as it’s currently at 1:4 vinegar:oil. 1:1 is a much tastier arrangement.
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Natalie replied: — April 20th, 2012 @ 9:44 pm
That’s what I thought…. because that’s how I do it when I wing it, but I followed the recipe and it actually tastes fantastic as is. I think the shot of lemon juice helps. Although adding more balsamic is rarely a bad thing… :)
Heather @ InHerChucks — April 20, 2012 @ 11:14 pm
I have been making a strawberry salad for quite some time. It is a true favorite (http://inherchucks.com/2011/12/12/strawberry-salad/). But after seeing your version I will be making some changes…starting with that dressing…looks beyond amazing! Thanks for sharing :)
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DancingMooney — April 21, 2012 @ 1:15 pm
You had me at HELLO!!
Pinned it, definitely going to have to try the vinaigrette! and strawberry salad?! yumm.
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DancingMooney — April 21, 2012 @ 1:16 pm
p.s. I loved your hair short, but it’s looking really cute growing it out too. :)
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Kathryn — April 21, 2012 @ 3:16 pm
YUM!! I found a recipe for arugula salad with strawberries and a simple balsamic vinegarette, but this dressing sounds awesome! totally going to try it (especially since I just bought a huge bottle of maple syrup at Trader Joe’s today.)
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Melanie @ Nutritious Eats — April 21, 2012 @ 8:18 pm
Hi Perry! I have to admit, it’s been way too long since I’ve visited your blog! I need to get my blogroll organized and add you to it. Anyway, I did not know you were expecting a 3rd so congrats! Our are close in age- 5, 3 and 5 months! I had a major sweet tooth with this last pregnancy and I loved every minute I spent baking and eating. Take care and don’t sweat all the things on the “to do” list. It seems like there is never enough time to get everything done so just take care of yourself and that growing baby!
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Laurie {Simply Scratch} — April 22, 2012 @ 8:05 pm
Ohhhh lordie… all of these flavors sound super delicious! Plus I love strawberries in a salad!
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Becca @ homebeccanomics.com — April 23, 2012 @ 6:34 am
Beautiful photo– will be a fab summer salad once the Jersey berries begin to grow!
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Amber @ The Cook's Sister — April 23, 2012 @ 7:22 am
I love your vinaigrette! It looks so easy to make and is a nice change from the usual raspberry vinaigrette I would normally put on a strawberry/greens salad.
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India — April 23, 2012 @ 8:18 pm
Ah so thankful I’m not the only one who gets overwhelmed. Good for you for taking a breather. Your blog is wonderful. This week I made your calzones and lettuce wraps inspired from your blog. Thanks for the great ideas!
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Bree — April 24, 2012 @ 7:16 am
The maple dressing sounds terrific!
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Jen at The Three Little Piglets — April 25, 2012 @ 5:02 pm
I felt the same way when baby #3 came along. My husband got transferred and we moved 1100 miles when I was 8 months pregnant and due just two weeks before Christmas. I think I nearly drove myself crazy with stress. Just remember that just because you want to do doesn’t mean you have to do it. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know!
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