Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Spinach Salad with Cinnamon Dressing

Nothing says "spring is here" like a tasty summer salad topped with fresh fruit. One of my favorites has always been the traditional spinach salad, which typically comes with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, red onion, and mandarin oranges.

When I was gifted with some lovely strawberries earlier in the week by my mother, I knew I wanted to use them on a salad. Here's my take on the traditional spinach salad, except accented with fresh strawberries, shaved parmesan, and a lovely cinnamon vinaigrette.

Spinach Strawberry

Spinach Salad with Cinnamon Vinaigrette
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 (11oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 pint strawberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese

Vinaigrette
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients and whisk well. Drizzle over salad, and toss to coat. Shave fresh parmesan over salad. Serve and enjoy!

11 comments:

  1. I want to make this ~ it looks delicious. thank you for sharing.

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  2. Mmmm, cinnamon vinaigrette -- that sounds wonderful!

    I might try this with some added slivered almonds, maybe carmelized...

    Beautiful photo as well!

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  3. Tasty!

    And I just got strawberries, parmesan, and spinach last night!

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  4. I love psinach and strawberry salads! I love your dressing, it sounds so good.

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  5. What an interesting idea for the vinaigrette...I'd never thought of using cinnamon before...

    j

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  6. That's wild - cinnamon vinaigrette - and I can totally imagine how good that tastes!
    And that's a very tempting picture - I might just make this right now!

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  7. Anonymous8:18 AM

    If you're contemplating whether to make this salad today or tomorrow....make it today. You won't regret it. I promise. It's definitely a keeper.

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  8. Hey, Fiber. I love spinach salads and often include some kind of fruit in the mix (pears, apples, dried cranberries). But I've never used strawberries that way. I'll have to try it!

    http://mindycooks.blogspot.com

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  9. We just had this with our dinner and it was fantastic!! We did stuffed portabello mushrooms and the salad except I used feta cheese with the salad. How would it taste with some chicken strips in it?

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  10. Anonymous10:20 AM

    I doubled this recipe (but kept the sugar at 2 TBL) and it still wasn't enough for 10 people!! my group are foodies, and they loved it, they couldn't get enough. I added some spicy almonds for more texture. This recipe is a keeper.

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