This strawberry salad is made using juicy ripe strawberries that are in season. Paired with fresh lettuce, toasted almonds and ruby red pomegranate seeds, it makes for a beautiful addition to a Valentineโs Day menu.
You can choose to keep the strawberries whole, but slicing them up ensures that the flavour of the dressing covers more of the fruit. The strawberry salad dressing gives the salad a fruity flavour and stays true to the colour of the season.
Instead of almonds, you can use walnuts or pecans. Toasting the nuts lightly brings out the flavours released by the essential oils.
To make this a heartier, add some cooked navy beans (white beans) or cooked quinoa to the strawberry salad.
Preparation
To prepare the strawberry salad, in a small pan, toast almonds on a low flame for 4-5 minutes. Chop into halves.
Wash the lettuce leaves well and dry in a salad spinner or using cotton towels. Tear into bite sized pieces
Slice the strawberries.
Line a bowl with a layer of lettuce and top with strawberry slices.
Scatter chopped almonds and pomegranate seeds.
Top with a few leaves of fresh basil.
To prepare the dressing, transfer all the dressing ingredients into small mixer jar and blend until smooth and creamy.
Dress the salad using the strawberry olive oil dressing. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Store nuts in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator so that they last longer.
To keep salad greens fresh for longer, wrap in a slightly damp cotton towel or thick kitchen paper and then place in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
