Skip to main content

Berry and Avocado Salad



It’s just turned spring! The world is indeed, mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful, as e. e. cummings said. The sun is shining, the snow is thawing, the wind is warming rather than icy, and green things and beginning to poke through the ground. Gone are my cravings for soups and stews and roasts; I want salads.

I want salads full of color and texture and taste; this delivers on all fronts. Sweet and ripe red strawberries, deep navy blueberries, magenta raspberries and deep purple blackberries jut out between white and salty feta, brown and crunchy walnuts and pecans, the white and crisp apples, the forest-green spinach and the chartreuse and creamy avocado slices. Drizzle the whole thing with creamy raspberry poppyseed dressing and you have a salad to satisfy the eye and the stomach. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 ounces baby spinach
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1 avocado, sliced
1 apple, diced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons poppyseeds
salt
pepper
1/2 cup raspberries


Method:
Toss together the spinach, berries, walnuts, avocados and feta cheese.

In a food processor, blend together the mayo, milk, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and raspberries until smooth. Stir in the poppyseeds.


Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve with extra dressing at the table. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Raspberry Pomegranate Jam

Tis the season to be making homemade gifts! Pomegranates are in season and their juice is a festive deep ruby red color. I knew I had to make them into a jam to give away. Straight pomegranate flavor is a little tart for me; I added raspberries for the texture of their seeds and their sweetness. This is a very simple recipe to make and will yield 6 to 7 8 ounces jars of jam or 12 to 14 4 ounce jars, if you like to give away sample sizes during the holidays. Enjoy! Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups pomegranate juice 1 cup mashed raspberries 7 cups sugar 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/75 ounce package Sure Jell Method: Sterilize your jars and lids. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed large stock pot, add the pomegranate juice, raspberries and butter. Mix well. Add in the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil then stir in the Sure Jell. Allow to boil hard for 1 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam. Ladle into the sterile jars, twist on the lids and pr

Peek-a-boo Squares

My grandma, Mimi, taught me this recipe. I used to make this with her and my mother as a child. It is my very favorite dessert. It is incredibly easy to make, and even easier to eat. My favorite part of making this as a child was dusting every bar generously with snowy white powdered sugar.  My favorite version of this dessert uses canned blueberry pie filling; I vastly prefer Libby brand over the store brand. You can make blueberry pie filling from scratch with sugar, cornstarch, bleberries, etc. but using the canned stuff is easy in a pinch and is much for nostalgic for me. Plus, I don’t notice a vast improvement over my homemade blueberry pie filling and the Libby brand; it just takes me longer to put this dessert together.  I have been known to whip up a pan of these Friday night and have them disappear by Saturday afternoon. Be warned, these things are addictive! Ingredients: 3 cups of all-purpose flour 2 cups of granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 sticks of

Samosas with Yogurt Sauce

I love exploring many kinds of cuisine in my kitchen because I can control the spice level, and in the case of this recipe, the use of cilantro. Cilantro lovers out there- sub it info the parsley here. I have the gene that makes cilantro taste like soap, which limits my ability to enjoy some dishes in restaurants, but is easily rectified in my own kitchen. I hope you enjoy! Ingredients:  3 russet potatoes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 teaspoons curry powder 5 ounces peas Six 8 inch flour tortillas 4 ounces Greek yogurt Oil, salt, pepper, vinegar 4 tablespoons butter Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over high; uncover and cook until tenderDrain potatoes and transfer to a bowl.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in reserved saucepan over medium. Add chopped garlic and al