Blueberry Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
This fresh and fruity Blueberry Spinach Salad is tossed with a homemade lemon poppyseed dressing that is crazy easy to make with just a few tasty ingredients! We love ours topped with candied walnuts and creamy feta the ultimate fruit and veggie salad.Recipe serves 2 large salads or 4 side salads.
Servings 2 servings
Calories 185kcal
Ingredients
- 4 oz fresh baby spinach
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese plus extra to taste
- ¾ cup fresh ripe blueberries
- ¼ cup candied walnuts*
LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 TBSP minced sweet yellow onion or shallot
- 2 TBSP honey or sugar
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ½ TBSP poppy seeds
Instructions
- First make your dressing! Blend lemon juice, onion, honey/sugar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. Pour in avocado oil slowly into the mixture while blender is running to fully incorporate. Add poppy seeds and pulse blender a few times, just to mix seeds into the dressing. You can also use an immersion blender or food processor if needed. Set dressing in the fridge to chill for a few minutes if a chilled dressing is preferred.
- Wash and dry your spinach and combine with blueberries, feta, and candied walnuts in a large bowl (you want to have enough room to toss the salad without everything flying all over your counter, lol) - Add 1/3 of the dressing to the salad and toss/mix until spinach is coated. Serve right away with additional dressing on the side (add extra to taste) and feel free to save some for later if you have a little leftover!
- When it comes to the feta, blueberries, and candied walnuts, feel free to add extra if desired! Salads are crazy flexible to suit varied tastes so keep it light or load 'em up! I like a little extra feta on mine!
Notes
* See post below for my recipe for 5 minute homemade candied walnuts. You can use store bought or homemade here. Candied pecans or honey roasted almonds also work great!
Looking to get a little bit "extra" with this simple salad? Go for it! Thinly sliced red onion makes a great addition and so do roasted sunflower seeds.
If skipping the candied nuts in favor of plain toasted walnuts or pecans, you may want to sweeten the dressing a tad more as the sweet nuts help balance the lemony dressing. Simply adjust to taste and you're good to go!
Nutrition Facts below are estimated for the salad using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Add 51 calories for every tablespoon of dressing used.
Nutrition
Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 359mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5452IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 2mg
