No matter what part of the country you live in, it’s right about now that people start itching to get outside and start entertaining! If you’re in a cold spot, you’re probably soaking in the sun while also wearing a scarf, and if you’re a lucky one who lives in a place that’s eternally warm, you’re just laughing at us right now.
Location aside, we can all agree that summertime is the perfect time to host a get together, whether inside, on a deck, or in a yard. And what better way to host that get together than to make it a group effort?
Today I’m sharing with you one of my favourite salads to make, both for myself and as my contribution to a potluck. I love bringing a dish with lots of fruit or vegetables because often I find myself at a potluck loading up on carbs, carbs, and more carbs. With a side of carbs. Sure, I’m filling my plate with delicious comfort food, but all the bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes that often make their appearance at potlucks will just leave you feeling bloated, tired, and, if you’re like me, start you on a downward spiral of craving more carbs!
This Strawberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing is simple to make, delicious, and generally satisfies most crowds. It’s also an easy base to use if you’re barbecuing some chicken, or even salmon! For my fellow vegetarians, this salad is amazing with some seitan pan-fried in organic, hand-pressed coconut oil.
In my opinion, one of the biggest rules when it comes to bringing a dish to a potluck is to make your dish totally transparent. In other words, don’t keep me guessing as to what I’m looking at! I want to be able to look at the dish and know exactly what I’m eating. This is an important thing to remember when dealing with a group of people, some (or many) of whom you may not know. With more and more people on restricted diets, with allergies and intolerances, or just strong preferences, you don’t want to be the person that brings the dish that everyone skips over because it looks confusing or complicated. This salad delivers a tasty punch without scaring anyone away. I can pretty confidently say that you will not be taking leftovers of this salad home!Without further ado, Strawberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing…
- 1 large bag of organic spinach
- ½ pound of organic strawberries, washed and sliced
- 2 organic avocados, sliced
- Optional: Top with shaved almonds, sunflower seeds, &/or dried cranberries
- 1 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup raspberry-infused balsamic vinaigrette
- ¼ cup organic coconut palm sugar
- 2 tsp organic dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp organic poppy seeds
- 1 tsp dried organic onion powder
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp of water (optional: may use if needed to thin out at the end)
- Combine all ingredients except for poppyseeds in a blender.
- Once ingredients have come together, stir in poppyseeds and either drizzle on top of salad if serving immediately, or store in an airtight container and use within 3-5 days.