Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

While we were visiting my mother in law last week, she made me the most incredible salad. I think salads are my love language....I really do! 

The combination of the sweet fruits with the savory romaine had me raising my eyebrows.....I'm not going to lie, I was dubious of how this would all come together. Well, there was no reason for me to doubt, because this salad came together beautifully. She kept the leftover chopped romaine and cut fruits in the fridge...so I proceeded to make myself this salad for lunch every day, four days in a row! HA! It is that easy to make yourself a unique, healthy, delicious salad whenever you like. 

I am not including measurements in this recipe....it's a salad, just eyeball it! I like the pineapple the best, so I put extra pineapple in mine. I'm also heavy handed with the almonds. Just throw all the ingredients in a bowl. Also, I know you can use fresh pineapple, but give the canned a try and see what you think. Canned pineapple is consistent - which I like for this salad (sometimes fresh is extra sour or it might be overripe and too sweet or mushy). 

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped

Fresh strawberries, rinsed and sliced

Fresh blueberries, rinsed

Canned pineapple, drained and patted dry

Canned mandarin oranges, drained and patted dry (this is optional)

Slivered almonds OR chopped pecans

Sprinkle of hemp seeds, optional

Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

Your can experiment with protein - although we ate it without and it was great (I would do roasted tofu if vegetarian OR chicken, if you eat meat)

Directions:

Place the romaine through hemp seeds, if using, in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with Brianna's Poppy Seed dressing and gently toss to coat. Divide between bowls. If using added protein, place on top of dressed salad. 

Serve this salad with crackers or a good crusty bread. This is a beautiful spring/summer salad that would be lovely for brunch, lunch or at a potluck. 

If you want leftovers, do not dress the whole bowl as the dressing will make the lettuce soggy. Enjoy!