Pushing the Season on Strawberries ...

Silent Bob is disgusted with me, but I just could not help it! We had his aunt and cousin dropping in for a lunch date at the grey cottage and I was looking for a nice salad to go with a quiche that I'd made ... I saw strawberries in the market from way far away ... they were so red and shiny and I wanted them so badly! I closed my eyes and popped them into the basket! Home again, home again - jiggity jig and soon there was a pretty spinach and strawberry salad sitting on the table waiting for the quiche to come out of the oven.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

1- 10 oz. bag of baby spinach greens, washed, stems trimmed, and spun out in a salad spinner

1 pint strawberries, rinsed, drained, stemmed, and sliced into thin strips

1/2 c. purple onion strips

1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. raspberry vinegar

1/3 c. light olive oil

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Making the Salad:

1. Lay the prepared spinach greens into a large salad bowl.

2. Top with the onions and strawberries.

3. Sprinkle the pecans over all.

4. Combine the sugar, mustard, salt, and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor and whirl to combine.

5. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and whirl to form an emulsion dressing.

6. Add the poppy seeds and pulse to combine, being careful not to pulverize the seeds.

7. Drizzle just a bit over the salad and place the rest of the dressing in a bowl to serve on the side for those wanting more sweet tanginess.

8. Cover closely if the salad will sit for a bit before serving.

We managed to eat most of the salad, but there's one plate left that I will be knoshing for an afternoon snack ... what is it with me and guilty pleasures and the color red lately ! ?