The strawberries are here! The strawberries are here!
The harvest was a little late this year, what with the hellishly long winter and unseasonably cold spring we just had, but at long last, the Ontario strawberries are here. Finally.
I was so excited to spot the familiar green baskets brimming with bright red berries that I didn't even balk at the $6 selling price.
(OK, I did balk. But then I sucked it up and picked up a basket anyway. #treatyoself and all that.) 
I celebrated by tossing together one of my favourite summer salads, a blend of peppery baby greens from Cookstown Greens tossed with a sweet-and-sour creamy poppyseed dressing, and topped off with bright strawberries, creamy cheese and toasty almonds.
It's a lively blend of flavours and colours that makes the most of the intense flavour of in-season strawberries.
You've probably seen this salad made before with a fresh goat cheese, but I prefer Monforte Dairy's Pecorino Fresco cheese. It's a fresh sheep's milk cheese made by one of our local cheesemakers that stays together in nice firm cubes instead of falling apart like the softer chevre.
However, if you can't find Monforte's goods in your 'hood, queso fresco or a mild, creamy feta are reasonably good fascimiles.
And as for those strawberries? Worth every penny, and still pretty reasonable compared to... oh say... a new pair of shoes or a new camera lens. Yup. A gal could definitely have worse habits.
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Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This summery salad is normally made with spinach, but it's surprisingly tasty (and a little more substantial) when made with shredded kale. Sweet strawberries, tangy goat cheese and toasty sliced almonds add bright colour and flavour to the mix.
Ingredients
Creamy Poppyseed Dressing:
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp finely minced shallot
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- Salt and pepper
Strawberry-Spinach Salad:
- 6 cups baby arugula (or any other peppery green)
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- ½ cup pecorino fresco cheese, cubed
- ½ cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
Prepare the Dressing:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, olive oil, minced shallot, sugar and poppy seeds until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare the Salad:
- In a large bowl, toss the greens with ¼ cup dressing, and toss until the greens are evenly coated. (Feel free to add more dressing, if you like, or transfer the leftovers to a small jar and refrigerate for another day.)
- Divide the dressed greens between four salad bowls. Top off with strawberries, cheese and sliced almonds, and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: American
[email protected] is How I Cook says
This is just a great classic salad. Love your amped up version!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
I've been completely obsessed with berries this summer. This salad looks like perfection! That cheese and those almond silvers... swoon!
Paula - bell'alimento says
This is my kinda summer salad!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
I adore the sound of this salad!!! The colors are amazing and you've got a ton of great flavors and textures going on in here. I can not wait to make it as I'm sure it would be a fabulous addition to any summer gathering! Thanks for sharing. I'm pinning right away!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
Strawberry salads with peppery greens are so perfect together. Our strawberries are just coming in, so this one is pinned for sure.
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
I love this! I like the sheep's milk cheese addition!!
christine says
The salad sounds great, but I want to try that cheese you're talking about. It sounds amazing.
[email protected] says
I've never made anything with poppy seeds, no idea what's stopping me, but this dressing sounds so good!
Julie says
Our strawberry season JUST started here too. I've already gone strawberry picking twice since this weekend!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
I love love love poppy seed dressing! Love it!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Fresh summer salads are the best thing about warm weather. They are so filling and so super fresh.
Asiya @ Chocolate & Chillies says
The best things about summer is the berries! Just saw the Organics farm in Markham has started strawberry picking...can't wait to go! Last year you had recommended I get Lemon Thyme..picked some up and have it in my garden. Looking forward to using it soon!
Love the flavours in this salad! Definitely going to give it a try soon!
Isabelle Boucher says
I can't wait either. It's hard to believe strawberry picking season is just getting started... everything is so late this year!
Glad you managed to score some lemon thyme. It's one of my favourites! In fact, I have a recipe I'm posting soon that uses it in a strawberry cobbler. Perfect for all those berries you're going to pick. ;)