A delicious spinach strawberry salad, with goat cheese, maple-glazed walnuts and watercress, tossed in a light maple vinaigrette and topped with a balsamic glaze.
Why I love this spinach strawberry salad
This strawberry salad makes me happy just to look at, with it’s bright colours! This salad is so much more than a pretty plate, though. There is so much goodness going on here I couldn’t fit it all in the title.
It starts with baby spinach and some watercress. I love watercress. It adds great texture to a salad and it’s a nutritional powerhouse that’s often overlooked. The greens are tossed in a simple maple vinaigrette. Not a lot – just enough to moisten it. The greens are then topped with sliced strawberries, goat cheese crumbles, maple-glazed walnuts and a balsamic glaze.
It’s worth mentioning again the maple-glazed walnuts, because they are seriously delicious. Walnuts are a nice nut and all, but they can tend to be a tiny bit bitter. It’s amazing what a quick trip to a skillet will do though, when you add a bit of maple syrup. All at once, they are toasted and glazed in maple sweetness and I guarantee, you’ll be snacking on them beyond this salad!
A few more notes
I have to express my undying love for balsamic glaze. It’s rich, thick and sweet and the perfect complement to the other flavours going on in this salad. Look for it at most grocery stores, in with the balsamic vinegars. If you can’t find it, simply reduce some regular balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan with a bit of brown sugar for the same effect.
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Get the Recipe: Spinach Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
Maple Glazed Walnuts:
- 2/3 cup walnut halves
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- Pinch salt
Maple Vinaigrette:
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable, canola or neutral cooking oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Salad:
- 4 oz. Baby Spinach
- 2 oz. Watercress, optional
- Maple Vinaigrette (from above)
- 1/4 cup Goat cheese crumbles
- Maple glazed walnuts (from above)
- 1 cup Sliced Strawberries
- Balsamic Glaze
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- For the Maple Glazed Walnuts: Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove-top. Add the walnut halves, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized and toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove to a sheet of parchment paper and using a fork, quickly separate nuts so they are not touching each other. Allow to cool at room temperature, then store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until needed.
- For the Maple Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or a jar. Stir/shake together right before pouring over greens.
- To assemble the salad: Place some baby spinach and watercress in to a large bowl. Shake or stir vinaigrette and drizzle a bit over the greens. Toss until lightly moistened, then remove to serving plate or bowl.
- Top salad with some sliced strawberries, goat cheese crumbles and maple-glazed walnuts. Top with balsamic glaze and a bit of freshly ground pepper, if desired.
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Great salad – so simple and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Cheryl! Thanks so much :)
Looks so yummy! I’ll definitely make it, thanks for sharing!
I think it would be perfect with some basil leaves as well!
Hi Dora and absolutely! Basil and strawberry goes so nicely together :)
Watercress is indeed a wonderful little leaf. There are loads of watercress farms near where i live and I rarely use it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks Mariana. I am a fan of watercress and love to sneak it in to dishes and sandwiches, whenever I can!
What a delicious combination! I love spinach and strawberry salad, but you sent it over the top!
Thanks so much, Cathleen :)