I LOVE salad. I could eat salad everyday. Oh wait, I DO eat salad everyday.
Usually my daily lunch salad is pretty standard: spinach or some type of really green leafy something, random chopped veggies, walnuts and dressing. On the weekends is when I get to fancy them up because I actually take the time. Last weekend I made candied bacon and needed to stop eating it plain. I mean, I guess I didn’t need to, but to justify the amount of sugar I was consuming while eating it, I figured I should add some substance to it.
We throw candied nuts on salads, why not candied meat? Well, not like candied chicken, SICK! I think I just threw up in my mouth. But candied bacon, YUM. I did a quick search online for a strawberry spinach salad. It wasn’t more then a minute before I came across the recipe I decided on. LOVED IT!!! I changed a few things just for our (mainly my husbands) taste preferences. I was SO impressed with the strawberry vinaigrette. Super light and refreshing. And VERY healthy! This is going to be a staple in my house now, especially since the husband liked it!
Recipe Inspired By Two Peas and Their Pod
Serves 2 lunch sized portions
4 LARGE handfuls baby spinach, washed and dried
1/4 cup sliced almonds
4 strips candied bacon
6 strawberries, sliced
Strawberry Vinaigrette
5 strawberries, hulled
juice from half a lemon
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
2 tbsp olive oil
Puree all the dressing ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor. Slowly stream in the Olive oil. Store in the fridge for a day or 2, or use immediately.
You can either layer the salad on plates:
spinach
strawberries
almonds
chopped candied bacon
dressing
Or toss it all in a bowl and then serve it.
Jon likes his layered, I like mine all mixed up. SO, either way is obviously fine, but layering it is a much prettier presentation.
I'm a wife, mom, runner, recipe developer, freelance writer, early riser, Christ follower, peanut butter lover, frozen yogurt addict. I think the majority of the food I consume should be life giving; healthy, natural raw fruits and veggies. Which allows me to have room to splurge occasionally, and I take full advantage of it. 
Beautiful!! I love the strawberry vinegarette, I'll be making that soon. YUM!! Strawberry on salad is so so SO GOOD :) And it makes for visually stunning photography, too :)
This salad looks so amazing! Your photos are unbelievable!
I LOVE the strawberry spinach combo, though mine has a raspberry vinaigrette. I can't wait to try your much healthier dressing.
and seriously, how do you take such amazing photos?
These pictures are really incredible. At first I thought… how so very not "fat girl" of you until I saw the candied bacon. Um, I want some NOW.
That looks so yummy! I love strawberries in salads. I made an apple strawberry salad months back but my attempt at homemade raspberry dressing was a big fail. Totally ruined my lunch. I'll have to try yours sometime.
Oh my goondness… this is my kind of salad! Yum!!
So glad you liked the salad. Your photos are stunning!
I've had a similar salad before with the strawberry and candied nuts but never with candied bacon! Super idea! Thanks!
When my best friend got engaged, we hosting her future parents in law for dinner. The cold strawberry soup starter was delicious and the strawberry and spinach salad was enjoyed by all. But little did we know that her fiance's mother was allergic to salmon. That was not a great dinner in the end… But the beginning was great! Your salad looks perfect.
mm mm mm! I miss the strawberry season in California. I mean, it is not that you can't get them here in Paris but those in CA is waaay better. Enjoy!
Not sure how I stumbled across your blog, but I did nonetheless. This salad looks down right delightful!!! Thank goodness for this, I have a dinner party to go to and they gave me salad of all things to bring! =) Thanks for this and candied bacon…this will knock their socks off.
Yum I love big salads!
sounds delicious!