Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Pecans and Dried Apples

This Strawberry Spinach Salad with Dried Apples and Pecans is one of my favorites. I first ate it at my friend's house and liked it so much that I asked for the recipe. Irene was kind to share it and now this beautiful and delicious salad is a regular on our kitchen table. Breakfast, lunch, dinner - we can eat any time of the day! I think it's a great idea to mix bright and very healthy greens with fruits and berries. The spinach here is not fighting the flavorful strawberries, but complements it and gives the substance to the salad. The sweet, a bit chewy dried apples and crunchy pecans make this delicious salad perfect. The piquant sauce is light and very tasty! This salad looks and smells like summer, but you can enjoy it all year around as long as you have strawberries. Although the strawberry season in Canada last only a bit over a month – from mid-June until late July - we have plenty of imported strawberries from US and Mexico all year around. The salad is very easy and fast to make and can be easily modified, for example, if you don’t have strawberries on hand, use fresh figs, raspberries or oranges.
We love to eat this salad for breakfast or lunch and it’s for sure will impress your guests when served as an appetizer.

Makes 4 portions

Ingredients

Salad:
4 oz. (about 4 cups) baby Spinach, washed and dried
12 medium strawberries, washed and dried
½ cup pecans, chopped, chopped
1 cup dried apples, chopped
Dressing:
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
1-2 garlic gloves, squeezed
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

De-stem and cut the Spinach leaves to bite-sized pieces. Transfer them into a bowl.
Remove the strawberries’ stems and leaves and slice the berries. Add them to a bowl with spinach.
Top with dried apples and pecans. 

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
When you are ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and toss.