Spinach Apple Berry Salad

Spinach Apple Berry Salad

Spinach Apple Berry Salad is by far my favourite salad. We eat a lot of salad in our house. Every couple weeks we have Make Your Own Salad night, and this salad is my go to. We keep a lot of different ingredients on hand, such as nuts and seeds, and multiple cheeses. We also love to bake up chickpeas and add them in. We also, always make our own dressings. Our family always talks about how good our homemade dressings are whenever we bring them to a family dinner, and this balsamic dressing is my go to.

This spinach apple berry salad reminds me of the apple pecan chicken salad that Wendy’s makes. They one doesn’t have berries, and also has toasted almonds instead of pecans. But this one is still so so good. The other notable difference is that we have made this salad with goat’s cheese and not blue cheese. Matt isn’t a fan of blue cheese but we always keep goat’s cheese on hand. I also absolutely love toasted almonds and goat’s cheese together. I could eat a whole bowl of just those two ingredients.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Gluten Free Balsamic Dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette

The recipe for balsamic vinaigrette we have included for this salad is our go to salad dressing. It has a great balance between tart from the balsamic vinegar, sweet from the honey and a nice kick from the dijon mustard. I’ve never been a huge fan of dijon mustard because I don’t like horseradish, but in this dressing the dijon mustard isn’t in your face, it just adds to the overall flavour. This dressing is great on this salad, but it also works on many others such as a garden salad. Or a salad that is loaded up with your favourite ingredients.

You can make this salad as a side dish to accompany a main meal. Or you can make this salad the main meal. It is tasty enough on it’s own but if you want to add in protein to it, and have a more nutrient balanced meal you can add in chicken pieces. Pre-cooked chicken breast strips make meal prep easier and faster. We like keeping these in the fridge for busy dinner nights or quick lunches. You can also always make your own chicken and then put it in the fridge for easy meals.

If you’re looking for more salad ideas check out this Greek Salad with Crispy Feta Croutons. Salads make great side dishes and main courses. They allow you to get your veggies in and are so tasty. By adding in what you love, you are guaranteed to enjoy it. If you try out this salad be sure to let us know. We love to hear what people think about our recipes.

Gluten Free Spinach Salad

Print Recipe
Spinach Apple Berry Salad
Spinach Apple Berry Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette. Great as a side dish or a main course with some added chicken. The perfect balance of tart and sweet.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Spinach Apple Berry Salad
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Spinach Apple Berry Salad
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Instructions
  1. Wash and dry all produce. Slice apple and strawberries. In a large salad bowl place, spinach, cut apple, sliced strawberries and raspberries.
  2. Take whole almonds and place them in a plastic bag. Using a meat tenderizer or rolling pin, crush the almonds into small pieces. Placed the crushed almonds in a small dry pan over medium low heat. Slowly toast the almonds, stirring often. They burn easily so do not keep unattended.
  3. In a small bowl or measuring cup place, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Mix together, taste and adjust to desired liking.
  4. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the fruit and veggies in the large bowl. Top with torn goat cheese pieces. Either dress with balsamic dressing over entire salad or wait and dress over individual bowls.
  5. Serve as a side dish or a main course meal. Add cooked chicken pieces to add in protein if having as a meal. ENJOY!
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