The best part of summer dishes is being able to play with ingredients that are once again back in season. Nothing says summer like sunshine and the sweet, large berries that accompany it! So it should come as no surprise that this sweet blackberry salad has summer written all over it. It’s healthy, easy, and delicious so you can spend less time cooking and more time doing what you love -enjoying the sunshine!
Just between you and me, this salad can also become an entire healthy (and satisfying) entree by topping your salad with grilled, chopped chicken breast. While we will be focusing on just the salad for this recipe, don’t be afraid to try it later on!
What are we waiting for? Turn up “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams and let’s just get right into it!
Serves: 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes
- 8oz (roughly 5 cups) of baby spinach or baby greens
- 2 cups of blackberries, washed
- 1/2 cup of feta
- 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 a red onion, thinly chopped
- 1/2 cup of pecans, halved or sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sel Gris Sea Salt (Just a pinch!)
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups of blackberries
- 1 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
For the candied pecans: In a medium saucepan toss in the pecans or almonds, sugar, water, vanilla, and salt. Turn the burner to medium heat and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the nuts are evenly coated and most of the water has boiled off.
Remove from heat and spread nuts out evenly on a layer of wax paper. Allow to cool while you work on the rest of the salad.
P.s. These make a tasty snack too, if you’re anything like me -you’ll wanna make extra!
*The pecans or almonds will be slightly sticky if made right before mixing the salad. I think it’s great, as it sticks to the leafy greens! However, if you don’t want that, make the candied nuts an hour or so before preparing the salad to allow pecans to cool thoroughly.
For the dressing: In a blender, pulse blackberries and balsamic vinegar together until well mixed. Pour mixture into a fine mesh strainer to separate the seeds from the rest blackberry juices.
In a jar or other container with a lid, combine the (seed-free) blackberry and balsamic vinegar mixture with the plain yogurt and sugar. Shake until well mixed.
For the finale: In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients that make up the smashed blackberry base. Add the candied pecans or almonds, dressing, and toss together until the salad is thoroughly coated.
Dish up and enjoy!
There we have it! A deliciously sweet, summer blackberry salad. Enjoy!
Health & Happiness,
Savannah
