Spinach salad has never been better with this Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad. Sweet berries, creamy avocado, almonds, & goat cheese come together in a healthy lemon poppyseed dressing for a healthy summer salad.
If I were to make a list of my top summer dinner party recipes of 2019, this Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad would easily top it.
It has all the elements: salty, sweet, buttery, crunchy, and creamy. It's gluten-free, can easily be made vegan, and satisfies almost any dinner guest. Including kids.
And not only that, but it's easily put together in under 15 minutes, leaving you time and energy to focus on the other parts of entertaining.
So, essentially, it's a dinner party victory waiting to happen.
Or you can make it any 'ole weeknight. After all, Mondays and Wednesdays need more than their share of victories, too.
Because this summer salad recipe is a recipe that my hubby, Chris, was still talking about the day after I first made it.
And though he's usually the most entirely supportive of my cooking, we've usually moved on to talking about and preparing other dishes. We've started talking and thinking about what meals lie ahead of us, not what's behind.
But, even though we'd moved onto our next adventure, he still mentioned this past salad. With this, I knew I needed to get it on the blog and onto other get-together menus in the near future. I hope it ends up on your menu soon as well.
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What Sets This Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad Apart:
This healthy spinach salad ...
- Features a simple, yet delicious homemade vinaigrette
- Is full of antioxidants and fiber
- Boasts beautiful, in-season summer produce
- Has heart-healthy fats
- Is kid & family-friendly
There's a special place in food heaven for recipes you can rely on for seamless entertaining. Recipes that are visually and gustatorily impressive, yet belie their ease of preparation. Such recipes quickly and easily make it onto our list of go-to options for dinners with friends, family, or even a relaxing night-in.
This is one such recipe. But don't leave it just to me; discover for yourself by making this recipe today!
What is a healthy spinach salad dressing?
A healthy spinach salad dressing is any dressing that uses expeller pressed oils (i.e., not chemically extracted oils) and minimal processed or refined sweeteners. Examples of healthy oils to use are avocado, olive, almond, or walnut. Examples of refined sweeteners to avoid are white sugar, brown sugar, or corn syrup.
How do you keep baby spinach from wilting?
Keep the spinach in a dry and cool area to keep it from wilting. This means that you'll want to wait until right before you serve the salad to toss it. Anytime spinach sits in liquid for an extended period of time, it wilts.
Can you make this blueberry and spinach salad vegan?
Yes! It's pretty easy: just omit the cheese from the recipe and replace the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup in the salad dressing.
What other fruits would work in this avocado spinach salad?
If blueberries aren't in season or you simply don't have them, I can see strawberries, pears, or orange segments being great in this salad!
More healthy and delicious Healthy Salad Recipes:
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
- 5 Bean Salad (Vegan + Gluten-Free!)
- Moroccan Chickpea Salad with Carrots
- Roasted Tomato Salad with Burrata
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
- Kale & Broccoli Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing
- Warm Kale Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower & Cabbage Salad
Or, check out my list of the 31 BEST Healthy Salad Recipes!
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Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad
A refreshing summer salad complete with berries, nuts, cheese, avocado & a lightly sweetened lemon poppyseed dressing.
See notes below the recipe for how to easily make this salad vegan.
Ingredients
Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
Blueberry & Avocado Salad
- 1 12 oz. bag baby spinach
- ½ cup goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup sliced and toasted almonds
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 avocado, pitted and diced into ½ inch cubes
- ¼ cup golden raisins
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until the honey is dissolved.
- Add the baby spinach to a large salad bowl and layer the rest of toppings on top.
- Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and enjoy!
Notes
1. This salad can keep covered airtight in the fridge but only if it's undressed and you wait to slice the avocado. Then, slice the avocado and toss right before serving.
2. If you aren't sure you will eat all of the salad and want leftovers, just scoop out and store the portion you want to save before you dress the rest.
3. To make this salad vegan, simply omit the cheese and use agave syrup or maple syrup in place of the honey in the dressing.
4. Don't have or want to use golden raisins? Diced dried apricots are delicious in here, too!
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 282Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 7mgSodium 204mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 5gSugar 7gProtein 8g
This nutrition breakdown is just an estimate of the nutritional value of this recipe and cannot be taken as facts. The owners of Mae's Menu are not nutritionists or dieticians and therefore cannot be held accountable for this nutrition estimate. Please contact your nutritionist or medical professional for a nutritional breakdown of this food. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
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