Thursday, August 27, 2009

To Die For Salad. With Lemon Agave Poppyseed Dressing.

Happy Friday all. Happy Not So Fat Friday. Haven't spent much time in the kitchen this week so excuse my absence. Instead, I've been organizing the house & getting ready for Tristan's 6th birthday party next month. These parties take all my focus & attention. I can't wait to share the details!!!!!

So I thought tonight was going to be another boring dinner until my dear friend Kacey & mommy chronicler emailed me to say how much this salad put her in the better mood she needed. The same salad she sent me a recipe for a week or so ago. Along with a cute card.


She does things like that. She also sends plastic cutlery in the mail because it'll go with the theme of Tristan's party. Yep, she does things like that. And I love her for it!

So I picked up the ingredients & made it for din din tonight. Hubs already ate but still had a bowl & then asked for a second. It was absolutely delicious. Very light & refreshing & a great example of simple flavors coming together for a beautiful combination.


2 tblsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup sugar ** (used agave nectar syrup)
2 tblsp white wine vinegar
1 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp poppy seeds
6 oz pkg baby spinach
1/2 large cucumber cored & sliced
1/2 red onion chopped
8 oz strawberries, trimmed & sliced thin
1/2 cup toasted almonds

Combine juice, zest, sugar, vinegar, olive oil & poppy seeds. Combine remaining ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad.


{Food for Thought}

I have a thing about sugar. Ya see, I rely on my consumption of adult beverages to give me all the sugar I need so I am very careful about my other sources. I am also not a big sweets person. When I saw the 1/3 cup sugar I got scared & almost dropped my white wine. So, I decided to reach for the Agave Nectar that I always have on hand for Mexican Mojitos. Don't look at me that way!

Anyhoo, 1/4 cup Agave can be substituted for 1 cup of sugar. Use your judgement or just use the sugar. I put in about 1/6 cup of sugar & a couple of squirts of Agave. I may use all Agave next time.

As for the almonds, you can use slivered or sliced or whole. I wasn't sure what my Crafty Queen of Repurposing used so I bought sliced almonds & put them in a pan over medium heat & tossed them frequently until golden.

{Click Here to Print Recipe}


Have a great weekend everyone. I have some family in town so there will be cooking & playing. Look out for some stuffed party shrimp, mini milanese pork tenderloin & a new way to cook burger sliders.

26 comments:

Wine Dine and Teach said...

Just had to be the first! Rock on with the Adult beverage for all your sugary dietary needs!

Love ya!
Tammy (your best friend) ; )

Simple Daisy said...

Ok seriously...that looks awesome!!
I had something sort of similar at a restaurant in Saugatuck, MI!!!
So very tasty!!!

Jen said...

this sounds awesome and looks beautiful!

Kacey said...

Oh you have me rolling. You KNOW I was rolling my eyes about the sugar disclaimer. LOL Too funny! You're the expert so you know what to substitute not me. I keep it simple - sugar - and I did use the regular sliced toasted almonds that I found in the salad department. I kept it simple like that. :D

I'm so glad you enjoyed the salad and you didn't have a boring dinner.

{{HUGS}}

K.

starnes family said...

That looks fresh and delicious. Love your thoughts on saving sugar for the good stuff. :)

Deborah & Blake said...

This sounds so yummy and refreshing! It would be great for a Gal's day Saturday! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Ah...agave nectar. This salad dressing looks and sounds great. We recently had an agave nectar sweetened lemonade. Much less sweet, really let the tartness through. Can't wait to try this one.

Scary Mommy said...

I just love sweet dressings like that-- I bookmarked this one!

Erin said...

I LOVE Agave!!

Life, Love And Lola said...

That salad looks too pretty to eat!

Nope he's not the guy from Hawaii. Lives right here in town...Butterflies BIG TIME!!!

Stereos and Souffles said...

I'm a virgin. Wow, haven't said that in a long time. Haven't gotten on the agave bandwagon yet but I do want to take a ride soon. And I LOVE poppyseeds.

Chef Chuck said...

Packed with flavor and healthiness!! How can we go wrong!:)

Maria said...

Lovely salad, I really like agave too! Have a nice weekend!

The Blonde Duck said...

I'm so curious about the sliders!

Merry Mack said...

That looks beautiful!

Tam said...

YOUR Pictures of FOOD are always so amazing! I should KNOW better to come visit your blog before I have had anything to EAT! OOOO! HOPE your WEEKEND is GREAT!

The Mrs. said...

wow! Gorgeous!

Debbie said...

Yes, I think that salad could put me in a better mood too.

Kerstin said...

What a lovely salad! You reminded me that I still need to get my hands on some try agave syrup.

Tam said...

stalked over to say HI!

Ronda said...

Hi there! That salad looks amazing! Right up my alley. I use Agave too. It is great in salads. I too, get enough sugar in my beverages also!
I hope the party planning is going well for Tristan. He is growing up fast! Hope your having a nice summer. Have a great week.
XO

Mommy Mac said...

That Kacey is a pure gem, isn't she?!

Love her.

I am a salad junkie and love me some poppyseed too!

The prefect combo as the almonds are added, I think!

Thanks for the share once again!!!

You are just the best!

.mac :)

Michelle said...

You are so good at making your dishes look d'lish.

Lula! said...

This is beautiful...colorful...and SO right up my alley. (Except for the cucumbers--they're just crunchy water. Ew.)

That dressing sounds fab, too.

I thought of you last week...whilst eating my She-Crab at Charley's Crab. Good, good times...

Pam said...

What a great friend. This salad looks healthy, beautiful and delicious.

Hope Tristan has a GREAT birthday.

Unknown said...

It is so pretty. I don't know what agave is. I wish I didn't like sugar. I really really wish it....