Spring Strawberry Salad

Prep time: 10 minutes
Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 – 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
8-10 fresh asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
¼ of a red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
3 tablespoons (45 mL) finely chopped green onions
3-4 cups of mixed salad greens, including some spinach
A handful of fresh basil leaves

Vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 mL) white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon (15 mL) honey
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup (60 mL) vegetable or grapeseed oil
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) poppy seeds
Kosher or sea salt; freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Hull and slice the strawberries;  prepare asparagus by lightly steaming or grilling the spears, and then chilling them (slice each spear diagonally if they are too long).
2. Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
3. Prepare vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in oil until vinaigrette is thick. Stir in poppy seeds; add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drizzle over salad, and gently combine.

Questions and comments are always welcome   alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]