I mentioned on Monday that this salad comes from my sister-in-law Stephanie. She used to make it in my post-marriage, pre-reproductive years, which was also the time when I first discovered this total cooking obsession that has kind of taken over my life in the best way possible. This salad was my first venture into the world of “foodie-ness”–it was not the typical bowl of chopped iceberg and shredded carrots with a bottle of ranch that you so often see at family dinners. It was so simple and yet so incredible–juicy, fresh strawberries in season, crisp cucumbers, tender spinach, and the intensity of toasted almonds combined with the freshness of the Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette totally opened up all these doors for me.
Whenever I’m at Sam’s Club (or Costco, when we lived by one) in March and April and those giant clamshell containers of giant strawberries that are, like, $1 a pound are staring at me, I seriously feel guilty not buying some–it’s almost like puppies in the Walmart parking lot on a Saturday. Since two pounds of strawberries are a considerably smaller commitment than a puppy (and better for my mental health), I usually just buy them. Then I make jam. And strawberry sauce. And salads. Like this one.
You’ll need a bag of spinach,
sliced fresh strawberries, red onion, and cucumbers (peeled or un-peeled, whatever your preference)…
Toasted almonds (just heat them in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they’re golden and fragrant)…
and one recipe of the Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette. If you want to add a little more protein to serve as a meal, you can also add strips of grilled chicken.
This next part is super hard. You can arrange all the ingredients on individual plates…
or you can just shake everything together and let people serve themselves.  Either way is delicious and easy…
and a great way to use all the fresh ingredients that are starting to become available.
(Well, fresh except for that chicken, which, unless you’re in Portland and are friends with Fred Armisen, probably came from the freezer). Thank you, Brent, for sharing the wonder of Portlandia with us). Strawberry Spinach Salad 1 10-oz. bag fresh baby spinach Toss ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also arrange the ingredients on individual plates for serving.
Recipe from Our Best Bites and Stephanie Jones
1/2-1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced (you can peel it first if you want)
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1 recipe Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
1/2 lb. grilled chicken breasts, sliced or diced (optional)
This was so light a refreshing…..a perfect summer salad. I always have lemons in my refrigerator, so I’m sure this will become a standard for us now!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was once a amusement account it. Glance complicated to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we keep up a correspondence?
Love this salad! I didn’t have cucumber so I substituted celery–fabulous crunch. Thanks for the yummy recipes.
OK, so I know this is an old post, so I hope you get this. How do you make your grilled chicken look so good? I just got a cast iron grill for the stove top and was so excited to actually grill all the meats that your recipes suggest. However, mine always come out darker and black where the grill marks are. What is your secret to getting it “golden brown” if you will? I use a meat thermometer, I’m terrified of it being raw, but by the time it’s up to 165 degrees, my already dead chicken looks even more dead. HELP! :0) thanks so much! You guys are the best.
Sounds like your pan is just too hot. Try cooking it lower and slower!
Just wanted to let you guys know that I made this at a dinner party last night (of course with the lemon poppyseed dressing) and it was a hit! Good, good stuff. Thanks!
I made this salad tonight for our Tri-tip BBQ dinner and it was DELICIOUS! I added an avocado since I had one I needed to use and it was a yummy addition. The dressing is easy and a perfect conpliment to the other ingredients. Thank you for your wonderful, easy, real food recipes and keep doing what your doing… I love you guys!
Oops!I meant compliment 🙂
I made this salad along with the lemon vinaigrette last week and it was very yummy. I added kiwi and avocado slices since both were on sale and it was delicious. Love the vinaigrette, very tasty!
I took this salad and Lemon Viniagrette to a Memorial Dey BBQ and it was excellent. I added avacados as with this group, avacados are a must. The dressing was perfect.
I actually make a salad kind of like this once, but I just kind of winged it. I can’t wait to try your recipe! What could be better than spinach, fresh strawberries, grilled chicken and lemon poppy seed dressing???
Kate, I wanted to let you know I swapped the garbanzo beans for the chicken per your suggestion and it worked perfectly!! Thanks for leading me in the right direction 🙂
Awesome!! That’s so good to know!
Had with our Easter dinner and it was so fresh and tastey. Definitely a keeper.
My husband is going to my MIL’s for dinner with the girls. So, this is on my menu for tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight – YUM! Absolutely loved it. I asked my husband if it’s a ‘make again’ and he said ‘You’d better be making this a lot!’ Thanks!
This salad is honestly THE BEST salad I’ve EVER had! Thank You so much for sharing the recipe! I would have never thought strawberries would taste so yummy in a salad like that…it was amazing!
I am having a big dinner group of about 45 people Sunday. We are serving this yummy grilled pork tenderloin, pineapple soufflé a roll and ??? Do you have any recommendation for a salad that would go well with this combination? I need some color on the plate since right now everything is yellow brownish. Any ideas? Would it be bad to do a salad with a sweet dressing when you have the pineapple rice dish? Hope you can help. Thanks so much.
Just made this salad and became a huge fan!!! Thanks ladies for the great recipe….keep em comin!!! I know I’ll be eating a lot of this with the warm weather coming!
Mmmmm, I made this for dinner last night with some leftover beer can chicken I had made earlier in the week along with the Lemon Poppy Seed Vinaigrette. DELICIOUS! I am looking forward to having it again for lunch today.
IVE NEVER POSTED, BUT READ YOUR BLOG OFTEN. AS I READ THIS POST, DOOLING, I COMMENTED IN MY HEAD ABOUT THE GRILL STRIPES ON YOUR CHICKEN LOOKING FAKE, THEN CONTINUED READING. BEING THAT I AM FROM PORTLAND, OREGON I COULDNT STOP LAUGHING WHEN I GOT TO THE END. I GUESS WE ARE JUST CONDITIONED HERE TO EAT FRESH AND LOCAL WHEN POSSIBLE. TEEHEE. PORTLANDIA REALLY MAKES FOR A GREAT LAUGH, AS SOME PEOPLE ARE A BIT OVER THE TOP. ANYWAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL BLOG. YOU SHOULD VISIT PORTLAND, IT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD, FROM A FOODIE ASPECT.
Made this for dinner last night and it was sooooo yummy. I usually make a similar salad with a strawberry cream dressing, but I liked the lemon dressing too!
That looks perfectly scrumptious!!
Thank you for this beautiful recipe! I loved the photography and easy step instructions. You are amazing!
Due to interest in your cookbook, I found your blog! It is wonderful! Thank you both for being amazing!!!
Just came across your blog today and am so glad I did. This recipe looks super pretty and so delicious. I look forward to reading more!
I know it’s technically Spring…and this salad is one of my favorites, but I need a day where it’s above 60 degrees farenheit in order to truly enjoy this salad.
This has always been one of my favorite salads and now that strawberries are coming in season, we’ll be having if often.