CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH. All of the things I love about spring – in one bowl! With those pretty strawberry hearts all loaded up, you could eat this salad from Valentine’s Day well into the summer. Persian cucumbers add a nice clean flavor and lots of crunch. I love all the freshness from the ingredients and that fried goat cheese on top! We’ll start by dredging it in flour, a beaten egg, and panko then just pan fry until golden. This is an easy and versatile salad recipe that you can use to wow dinner guests, make as a starter for date night, or pack for a quick vegetarian-friendly lunch! And feel free to make it your own – swap out the arugula for a spring mix, kale, or even baby spinach. It’s easy, crispy, totally gourmet-inspired and it’s utterly addicting with that shake-in-a-jar balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients for strawberry salad:
Goat Cheese: Fresh berries and goat cheese are meant to be together! I like to elevate this salad a tiny bit by dredging the goat cheese medallions in flour, eggs, and panko and pan-frying them. The goat cheese gets nice and soft inside and all crunchy on the outside. It pairs beautifully with the balsamic vinaigrette and peppery arugula!Dredging Ingredients: You’ll need flour, a beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs to set up a basic dredging station. We’ll dip the goat cheese medallions in the flour, then the beaten egg, and finely the panko mixture. Fresh Strawberries: Strawberries work beautifully with the arugula and of course, the balsamic dressing. But you can certainly add in blueberries, blackberries, or even raspberries – infact, make it a berry medley!Arugula: Arugula is my favorite in this salad, but you could also use a spring mix, kale, or even baby spinach! This salad can easily be tailored to the ingredients you have in your refrigerator.Pecans: Toasted pecans add a nice crunch to the salad. Keep in mind that you can also swap the pecans for almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or use a variety of nuts.Avocados: If you’ve never added avocados to a salad that you dress with balsamic dressing, the taste is incredible! My favorite salad recipes always contain avocados. They’re buttery, filling, and perfect in salads that don’t contain meat.Persian Cucumbers: Add a crispy crunch. If you can’t tell already – I’m big on texture! And persian cucumbers are my absolute favorite. Feel free to swap with an english cucumber if you can’t find these specifically.Honey: Just a swizzle to helps flavor the balsamic vinaigrette.Balsamic Vinegar: Works so well with the strawberries and the peppery arugula! if you’re in a hurry, you can also use balsamic glaze instead. But homemade balsamic vinaigrette is so easy to make. Just shake vinegar, olive, mustard, honey, and a little sale in a jar.Seasonings: You’ll need kosher salt and black pepper to season the salad with.Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard plays a critical role when making a vinaigrette. It allows two liquid ingredients that wouldn’t usually comebine to come together. More basically stated – it’s an emulsifing agent.Olive Oil: is the base of the balsamic dressing.
How to make this easy spring strawberry salad:
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