Gluten Free Living – 2014

This Spinach Salad recipe absolutely delicious. It’s so easy to make too. Even the glazed almonds and homemade poppyseed dressing don’t take more than five minutes a piece. This is another in a long list of amazing Spinach Salad recipes that I’ve collected over the years. I adore Spinach Salad – especially when it has a lot of fruit and nuts. This one has a slightly different twist than all the other ones, including a homemade poppyseed dressing that’s also quite tasty. I love the homemade glazed almonds. I made two batches of dressing–one with honey and one with sugar. Both were excellent.

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This lovely salad comes from some friends that John has worked with over the years. Dale is a retired pastor who served in churches in Alaska, Texas and Colorado. We’ve been in their home several times for lunch. Marye almost always served a delicious homemade soup and salad, along with a luscious dessert. She usually made some kind of pie that we just drooled and drooled over. Everything Marye made was so wonderful that we’ve collected quite a few of her recipes over the years. Unfortunately, Marye is no longer with us, but we still carry her in our hearts. I think about her every time I make this delicious salad.

Spinach Salad is really quite easy to make. The salad only has five main ingredients. The dressing all goes in the blender and, poof, it’s ready in no time. We love the combination of flavors in this tasty and healthy salad. It does call for a teaspoon of sugar to glaze the almonds, but you might be able to do that with honey or agave nectar if you can’t do sugar.

All in all, Spinach Salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries and glazed almonds with poppy seed dressing is quite amazing. It’s a great salad to serve for company, and it’s especially nice for special occasion luncheons as well.

I made up two batches of this spectacular salad last week. The first one was for some friends who were moving into their new home. In that batch I used sugar in the dressing. Then the next day I made up a batch of Spinach Salad for us and used honey in place of the sugar in the dressing. We thought the salad was great that way, too.

If you’re looking for a delightful Spinach Salad recipe, this one with 3 kinds of fruit and nuts is sure to do the trick. For someone like me who loves Spinach Salad in any combination, this salad is sure a winner. Not only that, but this simple Spinach Salad recipe is healthy, low calorie, gluten free and vegan.

But just in case you’re not satisfied with just one great Spinach Salad recipe, you may want to consider these great Spinach Salad recipes too: Spinach and Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, Kiwi-Strawberry Spinach Salad, Fruity Spinach Salad with Peachy Balsamic Vinaigrette, Spinach Pomegranate Salad, Mandarin Spinach Salad and Special Strawberry Spinach Salad. All of these recipes are delicious and so delightful.

Spinach Salad is fantastic. The homemade poppyseed dressing is excellent on this salad.

This salad is great for holiday get-togethers because it’s so festive and beautiful.

This inviting salad is full of healthy ingredients and anti-oxidants. You’d never know you were eating so healthy!

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients fore the salad. The sugar is to glaze the almonds.

Place almonds and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir continuously until sugar melts and coats the almonds. Cool. Break almonds apart and set aside.

Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Add sliced strawberries, drained mandarin orange segments (I also pat them dry) and blueberries. Sprinkle glazed almonds over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I used these ingredients for the salad dressing. The first batch of this salad went to some friends who were moving. The second batch I made for ourselves and I used honey instead of sugar. 

Now that avocado oil is more readily available then when I first published this recipe, I highly recommend it instead of canola oil. It doesn’t have the strong aftertaste of olive oil, and it’s so much healthier than canola, soy or vegetable oils.

Place all ingredients in a blender and emulsify for about 10 seconds. Here’s what the dressing looks like.

Spinach Salad is healthy, low calorie, gluten free and vegan.

It’s easy for me to eat a large plate of this salad in one sitting!

Here’s the recipe.

SPINACH SALAD

(Recipe adapted from Marye Holley, Colorado Springs, CO)

Spinach Salad

Teresa Ambra

This marvelous Spinach Salad recipe includes mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries and glazed almonds. This one has a homemade poppyseed dressing. It's a terrific salad for company or holiday dinners like Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day. Gluten free and vegan.

No ratings yet

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 331 kcal

Equipment

• 1 serving bowl
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 whisk
• 1 sharp knife to slice strawberries
• 1 mason jar with lid or small mixing bowl with lid to store salad dressing

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

SALAD:

• 10 oz. pkg. prewashed spinach remove stem ends, if desired
• 1 cup fresh strawberries sliced
• 14 oz. can mandarin orange sections drained and patted dry
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup almonds sliced
• 1 heaping tablespoon granulated sugar you can decrease this to one teaspoon if you prefer

POPPYSEED DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup avocado oil or canola oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup onion coarsely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Instructions

 

SALAD:

• Layer spinach, strawberries, mandarin orange sections, and blueberries in salad bowl.
• Combine almonds with granulated sugar.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and almonds are coated.
• Cool and break almonds apart.
• Spread sugared almonds over top of other salad ingredients.
• Toss with Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving.

POPPYSEED DRESSING:

• Mix ingredients in blender about 10 seconds until smooth.
• Refrigerate.
• Toss dressing with salad before serving.
• Makes about 1 ¼ cups.

Notes

NOTE: Dressing can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

NOTE: When I initially posted this recipe in May 2014, avocado oil was not as readily available as it is today (May 2018). I highly recommend using avocado oil instead of canola oil in the salad dressing.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.002gSodium: 122mgPotassium: 475mgFiber: 4gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 5315IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg

Keyword blueberries, gluten free, orange, salad, side dish, spinach, strawberries

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Doesn’t Spinach Salad look scrumptious?

We love spinach or lettuce salads with lots of fruit. This one sure does satisfy!

Your taste buds will get an explosion of flavor with this amazing Spinach Salad.

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Spinach, Apple and Bacon Salad with Sugar-Glazed Walnuts

Fruity Spinach Salad with Peachy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Spinach and Bacon Salad with Lemon Pepper Dill Dressing

Spinach Salad

Teresa Ambra

This marvelous Spinach Salad recipe includes mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries and glazed almonds. This one has a homemade poppyseed dressing. It’s a terrific salad for company or holiday dinners like Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Gluten free and vegan.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Calories 331 kcal

Equipment

• 1 serving bowl
• 1 wooden spoon
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 whisk
• 1 sharp knife to slice strawberries
• 1 mason jar with lid or small mixing bowl with lid to store salad dressing

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

SALAD:

• 10 oz. pkg. prewashed spinach remove stem ends, if desired
• 1 cup fresh strawberries sliced
• 14 oz. can mandarin orange sections drained and patted dry
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/3 cup almonds sliced
• 1 heaping tablespoon granulated sugar you can decrease this to one teaspoon if you prefer

POPPYSEED DRESSING:

• 1/2 cup avocado oil or canola oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup onion coarsely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Instructions

 

SALAD:

• Layer spinach, strawberries, mandarin orange sections, and blueberries in salad bowl.
• Combine almonds with granulated sugar.
• Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted and almonds are coated.
• Cool and break almonds apart.
• Spread sugared almonds over top of other salad ingredients.
• Toss with Poppy Seed Dressing just before serving.

POPPYSEED DRESSING:

• Mix ingredients in blender about 10 seconds until smooth.
• Refrigerate.
• Toss dressing with salad before serving.
• Makes about 1 ¼ cups.

Notes

NOTE: Dressing can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

NOTE: When I initially posted this recipe in May 2014, avocado oil was not as readily available as it is today (May 2018). I highly recommend using avocado oil instead of canola oil in the salad dressing.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 4gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.002gSodium: 122mgPotassium: 475mgFiber: 4gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 5315IUVitamin C: 53mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg

Keyword blueberries, gluten free, orange, salad, side dish, spinach, strawberries

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!