Summer Salad

We all have those salads that we go to for dinner parties, bagged lunches, and every night of the week meals.  A great salad fits any occasion–it gives a great impression in front of new people, remains always reliable for a healthy tasty lunch, and stays around for a few days when you need it most and don’t feel like cooking.

This recipe, for me, is that salad: mix fresh spinach leaves with halved cherry tomatoes, pressed garlic, blueberries, and cashews for a little bit of everything.  Oftentimes, I make a huge version of this salad and proceed to eat off of it for two days (lunch, dinner, lunch, and dinner again).  It keeps extremely well and is super easy to make.  Serve as an entree or side dish for a summer salad that’s clearly delicious.

Summer Salad

This recipe comes from nowhere in particular, but closely resembles Michael’s Summer Salad with Shrimp, Strawberries, & Blue Cheese.

Ingredients:

* 3 cups spinach, packed

* 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halves

* 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

* 1/4 onion, finely chopped, optional

* 1 cup blueberries

* 1/2 cup cashews

* 1/2 cup chickpeas

* 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1.) Wash ingredients and prep: wash spinach, tomatoes, and blueberries.  Add spinach to a large serving bowl that’s big enough for tossing.  Remove stems from blueberries and add to bowl.  Cut tomatoes in half and add some finely chopped onion.

2.) Assemble rest of the salad: add cashews, dried cranberries, and garlic.

3.) Toss to combine.  Plate and serve with any summer salad dressing; I suggest any of the vinaigrettes available at Vom Fass’s website.

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