April 20, 2020
Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy
Seed Dressing is full of fresh flavors and crunch with nuts, red onion, fresh
strawberries, avocado and baby spinach topped with feta cheese and a homemade
poppy seed dressing!
Spring is here and that means lighter and fresher foods!
Fresh produce is becoming more readily available, and strawberries are about to
be in season. I love a good strawberry spinach salad, and I know that you guys
do too because the StrawberryKiwi Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing I made last year is still making its way around the internet. I
wanted to make a fun variation of a strawberry spinach salad and came up with
this Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing that is so
delicious with the creamy avocado and salty feta! This salad will easily be a
spring and summer favorite.
Strawberry
Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing comes together in about 10
minutes. I made mine more of a side salad, but feel free to add some more
protein like chicken to make it a complete meal. Though it is already quite
filling with the avocado, feta and nuts!
The
poppy seed dressing is super simple to make. Just whisk together vegetable oil,
apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds and honey. So simple, yet with the rest of the
ingredients, it tastes delicious! When strawberries are in season, they are so
sweet and delicious and really make this salad. Feel free to use whatever kind
of nuts you want to top this strawberry spinach salad. I bought cinnamon
almonds for my recipe, but any kind of sweet nuts would work.
Avocado
provides healthy fat, spinach and strawberries are loaded with vitamins, and
the feta cheese gives you that salty flavor mixed with the sweet strawberries
that you will love! My kids went crazy for this salad. So much so that I made
it again two days after I made this recipe. We all love it!
For
the dressing, I chose to use vegetable oil, which is made from soybeans. For
those of you who have been reading my blog for many years, you may remember
that my parents have a farm. Growing up, we spent every weekend there. The farm
is 80 acres of land, and much of that is rented from my dad by a farmer. The
farmer rotates soybeans, corn and winter wheat. I have so much fun teaching the
kids about crops and nature!
 |
| Adalyn in the soybeans! |
My
kids like trying the soybeans when they are green (edamame) and when they dry
out. It is so special to me to be able to teach my kids about farming and where
our food comes from. Soybeans are made into so many different products,
including soymilk, soybean oil, edamame, tofu and more.
Soybean
oil can be used in salad dressings and can be cooked within a variety of
dishes. Most vegetable oil at a grocery store is actually 100% soybean oil,
which many people may not know. It is the most widely used edible oil in the U.S.
Soybean oil is an excellent source of ALA omega-3s, which affect cardiovascular
health and may help to reduce blood pressure. Soybean oil is one of the few
non-fish sources of omega-3.
 |
| My brother Edwin teaching Adalyn how to pick and eat soybeans from the field! |
In
2017, the FDA made a qualified heart health claim saying that soybean oil may help
to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. How it helps is by replacing
saturated fat that you may use in cooking. Soybean oil has monounsaturated
fatty acids and can be used as part of a healthy diet. It is mild tasting,
which works really well in this salad dressing recipe.
I
learned that almost half of the land in the U.S. is devoted to farming, and
soybeans are the second largest crop. There are more than 515,000 soybean
farmers in the U.S. I love knowing that the wonderful farmland that we get to
walk on has some of these soybeans! Maybe the vegetable oil that I used in this
recipe came from my dad's farm?
Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Yield: serves 4
Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Strawberry Avocado Feta Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing is full of fresh flavors and crunch with nuts, red onion, fresh strawberries, avocado and baby spinach topped with feta cheese and a homemade healthier poppy seed dressing!
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes Total time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup nuts or seeds of choice
- Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together ingredients for poppy seed dressing.
- Toss together all ingredients for salad and toss with dressing.
Like this recipe? Check out other salad recipes:
Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Stone Fruit SaladStay up to date with updates from The Nutritionist Reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Instagram and emails right to your inbox.
Sources:
Comments