Strawberry, Pecan, and Mixed Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

There’s something that is so refreshing, enjoyable, and beautiful about a salad that is full of fresh vegetables, leafy greens, bountiful fruit, crunchy bits, and flavorful dressing. Don’t you agree?

Practically every night my husband and I eat dinner together, we serve a side salad alongside our main entree. When eating dinner with him, our meals are usually meat heavy since he is the grill master. Having a side salad helps us to increase our daily vegetable serving all while adding a bit of flair and freshness to our meals.

Even when I’m not eating dinner with my husband, I always make sure I have salad fixings in the refrigerator and pantry so that I can throw together a salad in minutes. The ability to toss together a salad by adding a few of this and a few of that, I can end my day with a meal that is healthy, satisfy, and flavorful. Plus, I enjoy mixing in a few meatless meals throughout the week to help keep me balanced.

The other day when we were grocery shopping for our date night meal, I was immediately drawn to the big, beautiful strawberries that welcomed us at the entrance. I couldn’t think about anything except getting my hands on the berries. It was love at first sight. I was hooked. The bonus part? They were on sale. That only meant one thing. I stocked up and looked forward to making all sorts of tasty dishes and drinks with these beauties.

Since strawberries are my favorite fruit, the possibilities to prepare recipes with them are endless … in my opinion. So, naturally, the first thing I decided to do was combine my love of strawberries and salad.

Since I had leftover leafy greens from dinner the night before, I got to work pairing slices of the strawberries with an herb green mixture, chunks of fresh mozzarella, crunchy pecans, dried pomegranates, and Parmesan Reggiano croutons. After a light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette, this salad was ready to be added to my repertoire of salads that I enjoy on a daily basis.

Strawberry, Pecan, and Mixed Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients (for one personal salad):

• 2 cups of organic herb mix salad greens
• 5 small chunks of fresh mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons of pecans
• 2 tablespoons of dried pomegranates
• 2-3 strawberries, thinly sliced
• Croutons
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Mixed all of the ingredients (except the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and sugar) together in a large bowl.
2. Make the balsamic vinaigrette by whisking together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.
4. Toss the salad and serve.

What’s your favorite salad fixing?