Summer Berry Salad with Lemon-Poppyseed Vinaigrette

Being healthy comes so much easier to me when the weather is warm. Does it come easy to you? The food is always so fresh—I mean, really, does anyone crave soup and chili in June? And the sunshine and warmth are just the perfect recipe for being outside and doing stuff. No need to hit up the gym for me! I’m too busy talking walks, going on hikes, slinging compost, and carrying bales of straw.

This summer berry salad is a perfect example. I’m not usually a big salad person, but when the lettuce is fresh and crisp from the garden and sweet, juicy fruits are ripe for the picking? How can I not put them into a beautiful, tasty salad? It’d be wrong not to!

This salad is a wonderful combination of sweet, savory, and tangy. I chose to use sharp cheddar cheese from my friends at Cabot (their Vermont Sharp? Amazing.), but it would also be amazing with some really good crumbled feta or blue cheese sprinkled on top. And if you wanted to make the dish a little more substantial, some thinly-sliced grilled chicken would be a great addition!

Let’s talk for a sec about this dressing—oh my gosh, this dressing! You know I love making my own salad dressing. Homemade dressings are easy, flavorful, and super cost-effective. They also let me customize the dressing flavor to the salad ingredients so that it’s just right. This lemon-poppyseed vinaigrette is tart, savory, fresh and the perfect way to balance out the sweetness of the berries and the nuttiness of the toasted almonds. It would also make an amazing chicken or shrimp marinade, and I can’t wait to try it as the dressing on a fresh pasta salad (kinda like my friend Jenn’s Confetti Pasta Salad—so good!). Even if you don’t make the salad (which, um, you should), you should definitely try out this dressing. It comes together in a flash, so you have nothing to lose! Enjoy.

Continue to Content

Summer Berry Salad with Lemon-Poppyseed Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 12 minutes

This light and fresh Summer Berry Salad is a great way to showcase the flavors of the season in a healthy lunch.

Print

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 head bib lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup blueberries
• 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced
• 1 ounce sharp cheddar, cut into matchsticks

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon poppyseeds
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the almonds in a small skillet over medium high heat. Toast until just slightly brown and fragrant, about two minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Assemble the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. Top with roasted almonds.
3. Add the dressing ingredients into a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid, close and shake until well-combined. Drizzle on top of salad right before serving.

Notes

Don't want to use sharp cheddar? Try feta, blue cheese or even going dairy-free.

To make this a more substantial salad, serve it up with some grilled chicken slices or sautéed shrimp.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 237mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 6gSugar: 13gProtein: 6g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.