Gluten Free Living – 2014

Spinach and Cranberry Salad is delightful! It’s a quick and easy salad you can assemble in about ten to fifteen minutes. And that includes making the dressing! It only uses a handful of ingredients making ease of preparation very simple. This tasty salad includes spinach, red onion, goat cheese, almonds and dried cranberries. That’s it!

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The salad dressing includes orange juice and orange zest mixed with a balsamic vinaigrette. I used Bolthouse Farms Olive Oil Vinaigrette because it uses healthier ingredients than a lot of salad dressings. It’s quick, easy and refreshing.

I was making a meal last month for friends who recently moved from across the DFW Metroplex. I included this tasty salad on the menu along with Rosemary-Garlic Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans, Peach Sheet Cake and Peach Streusel Muffins for breakfast. Because the salad recipe was so easy, I went ahead and made up a batch for us as well. This salad is really pretty basic, yet so delicious. It had a really nice tangy flavor with the combination of orange zest in the dressing and the cranberries in the salad.

If you’re looking for a delicious side salad to make for friends or family, this is it! It’s so quick and easy to whip up, you may find it on your regular rotation. Spinach and Cranberry Salad and the lovely Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette is terrific for family, company or holiday dinners. It’s healthy, low calorie, gluten free and a nice change of pace from regular tossed salads.

You can easily make this vegan by leaving off the cheese or using a soy-based cheese instead. If you prefer a sweeter dressing, simply add two tablespoons of honey to the ingredients. You will enjoy the crunchiness and varying textures of Spinach and Cranberry Salad. I’m sure. 😉

Spinach and Cranberry Salad is a tasty way to get your veggies.

The Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette is tart and tangy. It’s a delightful accompaniment to this salad. But you can always add a couple of tablespoons of honey if you don’t care for tart dressings.

Spinach and Cranberry Salad is a great salad for company, too.

Here’s what I did.

I used these 5 ingredients to make the salad.

Spread spinach in a salad bowl. Add diced onion.

Add craisins, almonds and goat cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I used these three ingredients to make the salad dressing. Combine and drizzle vinaigrette over top of individual salads.

If you enjoy dried cranberries and almonds you will love this refreshing salad.

Spinach and Cranberry Salad is so quick and easy to make up. It’s terrific for holidays like Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

Here’s the recipe.

SPINACH AND CRANBERRY SALAD

(Recipe adapted from Ocean Spray)

Spinach and Cranberry Salad

Teresa Ambra

This tasty and delicious salad is so quick and easy to make. Includes spinach, dried cranberries, almonds and goat cheese with a tangy Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette. The salad just pops with flavor. Terrific for company or holiday dinners like Easter, Mother's Day or Father's Day.

No ratings yet

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 164 kcal

Equipment

• 1 salad bowl
• 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 whisk
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

SALAD:

• 10 oz. baby spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup craisins
• 1/3 cup almonds sliced
• 1/2 cup goat cheese

ORANGE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing I used Bolthouse Farms Olive Oil Vinaigrette
• 4 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

Instructions

 

SALAD:

• Layer ingredients in a salad bowl in order listed.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Toss before serving.
• Drizzle salad dressing over individual salad plates.

ORANGE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:

• Whisk ingredients.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: If you like a sweeter dressing I recommend adding two tablespoons honey.

 

Recipe adapted from Ocean Spray.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 214mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3488IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 2mg

Keyword almonds, cheese, cranberry, gluten free, orange, salad, side dish, spinach

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

The nice thing about Spinach and Cranberry salad is it’s healthy, low calorie and gluten free.

This quick and easy salad will only take about ten to fifteen minutes to prepare and that includes the salad dressing. It’s an excellent choice for those days when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare dinner.

Put this delightful salad in your monthly menu rotation!

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Spinach, Apple and Bacon Salad with Sugar-Glazed Walnuts

Spinach and Bacon Salad with Lemon Pepper Dill Dressing

Spinach Blueberry Avocado Salad with Strawberry Poppyseed Vinaigrette

Spinach and Cranberry Salad

Teresa Ambra

This tasty and delicious salad is so quick and easy to make. Includes spinach, dried cranberries, almonds and goat cheese with a tangy Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette. The salad just pops with flavor. Terrific for company or holiday dinners like Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Salads and Salad Dressings, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 164 kcal

Equipment

• 1 salad bowl
• 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
• 1 small mixing bowl
• 1 whisk
• measuring cups
• measuring spoons

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

SALAD:

• 10 oz. baby spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup craisins
• 1/3 cup almonds sliced
• 1/2 cup goat cheese

ORANGE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing I used Bolthouse Farms Olive Oil Vinaigrette
• 4 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

Instructions

 

SALAD:

• Layer ingredients in a salad bowl in order listed.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Toss before serving.
• Drizzle salad dressing over individual salad plates.

ORANGE BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE:

• Whisk ingredients.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

NOTE: If you like a sweeter dressing I recommend adding two tablespoons honey.

 

Recipe adapted from Ocean Spray.

 

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 214mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 2gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3488IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 2mg

Keyword almonds, cheese, cranberry, gluten free, orange, salad, side dish, spinach

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!