Strawberry Spinach Salad

This healthy Strawberry Spinach Salad is the only salad you need to see you through spring and summer.

It's refreshingly delicious, with rewarding little bites of strawberry and soft buttery avocado. The optional addition of some creamy, salty vegan feta cheese, toasted or candied nuts takes it right over the top.

In this post:

Ok so you wanna know how this Vegan Strawberry Spinach Salad is done? First up you'll be needing to gather up some spinach leaves, strawberries and avocado.

And here's what we're doing:

Step 1: Make the oil-free strawberry vinaigrette by adding all of the ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth.

Step 3: Wash and dry the spinach then prepare the avocado.

Step 4: Toss the spinach in a little of the dressing, then layer it up in a bowl with the avocado and strawberries.

1. If you don't buy already washed spinach, I really recommend the use of a salad spinner to get the spinach leaves as dry as possible after washing. This will help keep the leaves fresher and in better condition until they are dressed and avoid accidentally diluting the salad dressing.
2. Buy the ripest and reddest strawberries possible.
3. This is a salad that is better layered than tossed. If you toss it together all of the strawberries and avocados end up sliding to the bottom. So first toss the spinach leaves with a bit of the vinaigrette, then add a layer of the leaves followed by a layer of the mix-ins, then another layer of spinach leaves. The number of layers you need will depend on how deep your bowl is.
4. Don't prepare the salad until shortly before you are ready to serve it. Spinach doesn't hold up to moisture well and the leaves become a little wilted after about 30 to 40 minutes. The avocado could discolor a little too.
5. My vegan feta cheese works brilliantly with this salad and adds a lovely creamy, salty, texture/flavor. Strawberry Spinach Salad + Feta = Perfection. I highly recommend you sprinkle some all over!

Serve this strawberry spinach salad as:

• A light meal just as it is or with some No Knead Focaccia on the side .
• A side salad with dinner. It would work really well with my vegan spanakopita or vegan quiche.
• Make it more substantial by topping it with some crispy tofu, baked tofu, vegan crab cakes or vegan chic'n.
• Take it along with you to potlucks. Just carry everything (spinach, vinaigrette, chopped strawberries, avocado and optional mix-ins) separately then assemble at the last moment.

Here are some tips for summer strawberry salad mix ins and substitutions:

• Baby spinach works incredibly well with the other flavours and it's soft texture goes really well with the juicy strawberries but you could use any other greens if you need to. Butter lettuce would probably make the best sub or use half arugula and half spinach for a peppery twist.
• Add vegan croutons, nuts (walnuts, pecans) or seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) for some extra texture and crunch.
• Bulk it up with some cooked grains like farro, wild rice or quinoa.
• Add some poppyseeds to the dressing for some extra "nuttiness" and texture.
• Add some clementine segments or chopped orange
• Add a handful of fresh blueberries in addition to the strawberries.
• Use raspberries, blueberries or blackberries instead of strawberries in the salad and vinaigrette.

This is a salad that is best when put together right before serving. However you can prepare many of the individual components ahead of time.

• Make the Oil-Free Strawberry Vinaigrette up to several days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
• The spinach can be washed and dried the day before and kept in an airtight container.
• The strawberries can be washed, hulled and chopped and stored in an airtight container.
• Toast the optional nuts up to a week ahead and store them in a jar for freshness.
• My vegan feta keeps well in the fridge for about a week.