in.gredients

Fridays are for simple salads and a glass of sangria on the front porch. The combination of strawberries and spinach is delicious, and why would we mess with perfection? We have local strawberries in from Poteet and spinach from Johnson’s Backyard Garden. Combine those two in.gredients with apple pie pecans from the Pecan Shop and you’ve got yourself a light dinner.

Not only do these strawberries come from a local source, they come from a place in Texas where there is an annual strawberry festival. Held every year in April, the festival has over 100 food and craft vendors, dances on Friday and Saturday nights and a strawberry judging and auction.

We love that our state has a festival dedicated to strawberries.  We are looking forward to more local berries and all the potential they provide for great recipes, like this salad. Happy eating!

Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Apple Pie Pecans and Goat Cheese

in.gredients

From: For the Love of Cooking

Dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar, optional
• 1 Tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Salad

• 1/4 cup apple pie pecans
• 5 cups spinach, washed and chopped
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 2-3 Tbsp goat cheese

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients and setting aside. This will make about a cup of dressing, you can put the extra in the fridge and use whenever you have a hankering for a salad.

Combine the spinach with the strawberries, nuts and goat cheese. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately. Simple, fast, delicious.