I was so excited when I came across spinach at the market last week. Usually only the local one is available, which isn’t very great to eat raw since the flavor is a little too intense. I immediately pulled out all of my books and searched for spinach salad recipes and planned to overdose on salad all week. I started out well, but I ended up giving in to junk food cravings and comfort eating. Why is fried chicken so damn good??
I’m pretty proud of today’s recipe since I put it together myself. A while back, Rabin and I went to a restaurant in Toronto and tasted one of the greatest salads I’ve ever had. There were roasted golden beets and arugula, goat cheese and candied pecans and some kind of sweet vinaigrette. I tell you – I’ve never thought I would have liked 3/4 of those things, much less combined. Additionally, a lot of those ingredients aren’t readily available here, so I wanted to make something that felt a little crazy (but worked) like that salad rather than “this salad has turned me off all salads for the rest of my life” crazy.
So here’s the recipe, it’s pretty simple to throw together and is filling and fresh. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the original salad at all, but when Rabin tried it, he said “you know what this reminds me of? That salad we had the last time we were in Canada…” Mission accomplished 🙂
Blueberry Salad w/ an Agave Vinaigrette
Ingredients for Salad
4 cups loosely packed Spinach leaves
1/2 cup Pecans, roughly chopped
1/3 cup Blueberries
1 Apple (I used McIntosh)
1/2 tsp ground Flaxseed (optional)
Ingredients for Vinaigrette
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. freshly grated Lemon zest
2 tbsp. Agave Syrup
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Pinch of Black Pepper
Instructions
Toast Pecans in a 350 oven for 8 -10 minutes. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. In the meantime, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking ingredients together. Dice apple. Toss salad ingredients with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with flaxseed if using. Serve immediately.
Note: If you’d prefer to serve later, prep as usual, but don’t dice the apples – cut them before you’re ready to serve. The lemon in the vinaigrette will keep the apples from browning to an extent, but it really depends on how long in advance you’re preparing the salad.
Another Note: I would totally use the flaxseed every time. The only reason most of these pictures don’t have flaxseed is because I kind of forgot to sprinkle it on before :s
So what else is going on? I’m pretty excited about the new season of shows starting in mid September. We’re almost there! I had a TV Pilot night with my siblings last week – we watched the few Pilots that have been released and I’m the most surprised by ‘Selfie’. When I first heard the name, I literally rolled my eyes and thought to myself “this better get cancelled soon”. Surprisingly, it’s a kind of charming modern day version of My Fair Lady. I actually liked it more than A to Z, but I’ll still watch future episodes because I haven’t dealt fully with the HIMYM betrayal and seeing Cristin Milioti in a romantic comedy feels like NBC is patting me on the back saying “there there, we’ll fix what that mean old CBS did to you.”
Another notable pilot? The Flash. The CW so clearly has the ‘handsome leading man + funny sidekick + seemingly unattainable love interest + unlikely love interest that will blossom into the one you root for + one supportive parent (or two supportive parents but one will die at some point in the show)’ equation down cold. Seriously, think about it. Arrow, Smallville, Dawson’s Creek, Gilmore Girls…even Supernatural has most of those elements. Peace out movies – TV is back!
What does this have to do with salad? Not a thing. No wait, I have a connection! Eat this salad while you’re watching TV premieres instead of stuffing your face with popcorn / junk food. Boom. See? My mind isn’t THAT random :p . Happy weekend!
This looks really good, especially the dressing. My husband has a bunch of allergies, so this is perfect! Pinning it!
Thanks Salma! I hope you guys like it!
[…] Indira […]
I love that vinaigrette recipe! Why didn’t I think of adding lemon zest to mine? 🙂
Thanks Angie! I was worried the lemon juice flavor wouldn’t cut through the agave, so I gave the zest a try. It totally paid off 🙂
Thanks for bringing salad to FF. I always bring salad but this week I brought dessert! I’ll have a huge serving of your salad before I hit the dessert table.
Thanks Tracey! I’ll have to check out your dessert recipe because I may be hitting that table first today 🙂
Very pretty and looks delicious!!!
Thanks Sue!
I love fruit in salad- and I love how this one is a bridge between seasons with the blueberries & apple. Lovely!
Thanks Josette! To be honest, I didn’t even think of that connection, but I like it! I may steal that to sound intellectual later hehehe
I love that sweet, lemony vinaigrette. It’s always helpful to have variations on vinaigrettes so as not to fall into a rut. Beautiful salad – the fruit and nuts make it a complete meal in itself. Ideal for TV watching too!
Thanks Hilda, I agree…Since I’ve discovered the different types of oils and vinegar available, I feel like the possibilities are endless! I have another vinaigrette I’ll be posting soon as well.
I would love to eat this Indira! Yum! Love your dressing!
Thanks Lori!
What a colorful, healthy dish! Looks lovely 🙂
Thanks Sarah 🙂
looks delicious, you just reminded me I need to eat more salad, thanks for inspiring:)
Thanks Lily!
Now this i am saving, goes with my diet!
Thanks Justine! I hope you like it!
i am sure i will x
I am drooling! Yup salad makes me drool, and yours especially! Love your vinaigrette! 😀
Don’t worry Julianna, some salads make me drool too and I feel special that mine has that effect on you 🙂
The salad looks fabulous and that vinaigrette….it sounds AND looks delicious!
Thanks Nancy! 😀
A great light and healthy salad, the vinaigrette sounds wonderful too, especially with the Agave syrup.
Thanks Loretta! I suspect that you can substitute honey in case you dont have agave, but I haven’t tried it. The agave worked well in it, I think.
I love the wholesomeness of this salad! Delicious and beautiful.
Thank you! 🙂
Awesome easy healthy salad.
Thanks Suchitra 🙂
I lvoe the flavors in that salad & it looks so good too! I just checked out some of the pilots you mentioned on IMDB. Selfie sounds like fun, cant wait to see it 🙂
Thanks. Let me know what you think when you watch Selfie!
Your salad looks wonderful. I have been craving salads…looking forward to trying this one. Plus I am always happy to find new salad dressing recipes to try! Pinning! So glad you linked it up with us at Foodie Fridays!
Thank you!
my stomach is growling now! this looks so, so good!!
😀 Thanks Chitra!
Indira your salad looks very appetizing! I always love fruits in my salad and blueberries sound really great!
Thanks Indu! I hope you try it and let me know how it turns out!
[…] classy meal. Cooked with wine, so since the bottle is open already…pour yourself a glass. Blueberry Spinach Salad w/ Agave Vinaigrette: Because making your own Vinaigrette is super hot. White Pizza w/ Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, […]