It’s time for a salad.

I don’t know about you, but I ate like I was going to the electric chair this holiday season. So I’d say it’s definitely time to do some damage control and get some good old healthy salad eating in, and fast because Superbowl is coming and this girl never turns down a wing. 😉

I’m actually a big fan of salads and just love all the different combinations that you can put together.  I usually stick to a light balsamic dressing that I have been making for years, but recently I started grinding up fresh fruit and adding it to the dressing to give my salads an extra kick.

So I’ll start with my…

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is what you will need:

• ¾ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot – peeled and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Here is what you need to do:

Measure and chop everything up and toss it into a storage jar. Give a really good shake and your done.

It really is an easy to make, light, not overpowering dressing that coats the lettuce leaves perfectly.

But…

Why not add a little something extra to make it even yummier and good for you.

So with todays salad being spinach leaves with strawberries slices, goat cheese, and crunchy sesame sticks, I thought it would be great to grind up a bunch of strawberries and add the puree to the dressing.

If I was the only one eating the dressing, I would just pour the puree into the vinaigrette.  My family is not a fan of chunky dressings, so I strained the puree through a sieve and helped push the strawberry juice through with a whisk.

I just love the color the strawberry puree gives to the vinaigrette.

The best thing about this dressing is that you can add any fruit that you love and it will be great. Mangos, blueberries, raspberries, papaya. The list is endless….

xoxo

Jill ♥