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Spinach and Fruit Summer Salad

August 2, 2011 - By Ashley Johnston 27 Comments

Sometimes all I want to eat in the hot summer heat, is a salad.

(for those of you who are in the middle of your winter, save this for later)

There’s something cool and refreshing about crunching on fresh veggies and fruits………while it’s hot and sticky outside.

And a salad just fills me up nicely, doesn’t stuff me down to my toes.

And this salad is one that I ate at a restaurant back in Savannah, GA before moving here……..and I knew I wanted to try and re-create. The fresh bed of spinach, all of the sweet seasonal fruit, the thin slices of grilled chicken, the crunchy nuts, the sweet and tangy dressing……….and the crumbled goat’s cheese. Oh my word, the goat cheese. It’s soft and creamy and well, it’s strong. But I adore it. So when I tried this salad back in GA, and they served it with goat cheese………I was in heaven.

Goat cheese always reminds me of a roommate back in college (hi Katie!) who loved it it much as I do. We would save our poor little college pennies (goat cheese isn’t cheap) and buy goat cheese, a bag of tortilla chips, and would happily dip and crunch on our little treat. We loved it. That goat cheese bonded us. :)

Any other goat cheese fans out there?

But if you’re not a goat cheese fan, substitute it for feta………or even something mild, like mozzarella. (You’ll still love this salad.)

And then enjoy the freshness of summer.

And with a little drizzle of a sweet, yet tangy poppyseed dressing (that’s crazy easy to make)………….

………it’s perfect.

And satisfies so many of my senses.

Would you like to make a bowl for lunch/dinner?

**Recipe all written out at the very bottom.**

Before anything else, make the dressing.

Place your oil in a bowl and add your balsamic vinegar…

And then the jam…

And then the poppyseeds…

Whisk together pretty vigorously (in a bigger bowl than I’m showing here), or place them into a dressing mixer that you can shake up. (I like the shaking method best. If you don’t have a mixer, you can pour into a tupperware with a lid and shake it up.) Place in the fridge.

Next, it’s time to lightly glaze some chopped pecans. To do so, place the pecans and sugar in a pan over medium heat.

Slowly let the sugar warm up, while continually stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Eventually you’ll see the sugar being to melt.

But then you’ll notice that the sugar will start clumping up and sticking to everything. Don’t worry. Keep stirring and watch as the sugar continues to melt and caramelize.

Eventually, all of the clumps will melt and smooth out, and will nicely coat your pecans. (Be careful not to burn the sugar…..just let it caramelize and brown just a bit.)

Then remove from the heat and immediately spread on a sheet of tin foil. After they’re cool, gently break them apart. Set aside.

Next, wash your fruit and slice your strawberries and kiwis. And it’s okay to sneak a few pieces to nibble on. I know, it’s tempting.

And now, cook your chicken out on the grill or in a pan on the stove. Whatever works best for you. (My 2 breast pieces are sliced in half, making them 4 thinner slices of chicken. I did that to speed up the cook time.)

Once your chicken is fully cooked, slice it nice and thin.

And then assemble your salad in a bowl. And serve. (serves about 4)

And enjoy!

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Spinach and Fruit Summer Salad (serves about 4)

10 oz bag of fresh spinach
1-2 chicken breasts, grilled and thinly sliced
1 pint of strawberries, sliced
1 pint of blueberries
4-5 kiwis, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 oz crumbled goat cheese** (or crumble some yourself) – substitute for another cheese if desired

Dressing:

2/3 cup oil (I used canola……use what you like)
4 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
6 Tbsp Strawberry Jam (or any berry variety)
1 1/2 Tbsp poppyseeds
1/4 tsp salt

To make the dressing: Place your oil, balsamic vinegar, jam, poppyseeds, and salt into a bowl. Whisk together pretty vigorously or place them into a dressing mixer that you can shake up. Place in the fridge.

Next, it’s time to lightly glaze some chopped pecans. Place the pecans and sugar in a pan over medium heat. Slowly let the sugar warm up, while continually stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Eventually you’ll see the sugar being to melt. But then you’ll notice that the sugar will start clumping up and sticking to everything. Don’t worry. Keep stirring and watch as the sugar continues to melt and caramelize. Eventually, all of the clumps will melt and smooth out, and will nicely coat your pecans. (Be careful not to burn the sugar…..just let it caramelize and brown just a bit.) Then remove from the heat and immediately spread on a sheet of tin foil. After they’re cool, gently break them apart. Set aside.

Wash your fruit and slice your strawberries and kiwis.

Cook your chicken out on the grill or in a pan on the stove. Whatever works best for you. (I slice 2 breast pieces in half, making them 4 thinner slices of chicken, to speed up the cook time.) Once your chicken is fully cooked, slice it nice and thin.

And then assemble your salad in a bowl and serve.

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Author Bio

Article Info

Ashley Johnston

Administrator at Make It & Love It

Ashley Johnston is a professional DIY costume maker, sewist, crafter, and owner of Make It & Love It. She is a mom of 5 and a wife to a very patient (with the craft clutter) husband. In case you’re wondering, she always chooses crafting/sewing/designing over mopping/dusting/wiping base boards……but bathrooms/laundry/full bellies are always attended to. Whew!

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Spinach and Fruit Summer Salad

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Ashley Johnston

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Last Updated:

November 14, 2018