Lovely Spring Greens with Strawberries salad—a looker and a luncheon pleaser

What a beautiful salad this was on the Easter dining table! And I didn’t let the fact that Hubby has to avoid strawberries stop me from serving this as a new holiday favorite. Sub a few raspberries where strawberries are called for; I was in business.

Spring Greens with Strawberries was recommended as a recipe in a lovely brunch collection. The minute I spotted it, I remarked to myself, “Easter!” I was right.

Greens, avocado, fresh dill, and sliced fresh strawberries are tossed in a light dressing of olive oil, red-wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and chopped shallot. (I also sprinkled in a few roasted sunflower seeds.)

I held out a portion of the salad mixture and put in fresh raspberries instead of strawberries; this was Hubby’s serving. He was pleased.

How beautiful this looked on the plate! Leftovers were great, as well. Yesterday Hubby and I were bopping out and about; we packed our lunch in a cooler. Instead of hitting the drive-throughs when lunchtime arrived, we stopped, pulled down the tailgate, and opened our plastic-sealed salad containers. We had a great lunch with leftover Spring Greens with Strawberries (or raspberries) salad!

Spring Greens with Strawberries

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons honey

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (5-ounce) package arugula

1 (4-ounce) package watercress

1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1 avocado, cut into 1-inch pieces

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl until mixture is blended. Cover and chill until ready to serve. In a large bowl toss together arugula and next 3 ingredients. Top with avocado; just before you serve drizzle with half of vinaigrette. Serve with remaining vinaigrette. Makes 8 servings. (Source: Southern Living February 2012).