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With the approach of fall just around the corner I simply had to sneak in one more summery salad recipe! If baby spinach, strawberries, cucumbers, and Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing don’t scream summer, then I’ve got it all wrong!
During the summer I always have a huge container of organic, pre-trimmed, pre-washed baby spinach leaves in my fridge just waiting for me to make use of it in a salad. Being a huge fan of whisking up my own salad dressing, I have been playing around with creamy salad dressings that feature Greek yogurt as the base. One day, while quickly throwing together a salad for lunch I had the genius idea to make a Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing.
The result was wonderful. The Greek yogurt offers a lovely creamy base. Zest and juice a lemon, of course, throw in a few poppy seeds, sweeten it with agave nectar/honey and welcome my new favorite dressing!
Immediately I knew that I had to share this delightful salad dressing with you, so of course I had to make a salad to drizzle it over.
Sweet, luscious strawberries are the ultimate companion to a lemon poppy seed dressing. It all unfolded from there. I added cucumbers for crunch and freshness (BTW cucumbers and strawberries are one refreshing combo), pistachios for heartiness, and of course plenty of tender baby spinach leaves.
Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing is extremely simple to make, almost too simple. True story, it only requires 15 minutes! That’s all it takes for a delicious, refreshing, summertime side salad.
Or, OR if you want to turn this side salad into a sustainable meal, just add some pre-cooked and cooled chicken. It makes for a yummy addition.
Usually, I like to embarrass myself with stories of me sticking my face into a bowl and licking up the sauce that was left behind (food obsessed). This time it’s Paul’s turn: once he had finished his plate full of salad, he picked up his plate and literally slurped up the remainder of the Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing! Needless to say, I was a little surprised, mostly because I’m usually the one to do things like that. Our Koch household is seriously lacking some table manners.
Hurry to make this delicious salad before all of the glorious strawberries are gone for the summer!
Friends, if you make this recipe, let me know. Leave a comment and rate it. I’d love to hear from you! Happy salad making!
Strawberry Cucumber Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2 as an entree, 4 as a side 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Side, Salad
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten Free
Description
This salad comes together in 15 minutes. It makes for a refreshing summertime side salad.
Ingredients
- FOR THE CREAMY LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used fat free)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar, or honey
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- FOR THE SALAD:
- 3 to 4 handfuls of baby spinach
- 1/2 cucumber cut into semicircles
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/3 cup salted pistachios, shelled
- Optional: 1 cup pre-cooked, cooled chicken. (This is a great way to turn this salad into a meal)
Instructions
- FOR THE CREAMY LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING:
- To a small mixing bowl add the Greek yogurt, the lemon zest and juice, and 1 tablespoon of the agave nectar/honey. Whisk to combine and taste-test. If it’s too tart for your liking add in another tablespoon of the agave nectar or honey. Whisk in the poppy seeds and the sea salt.
- Gradually add the olive oil while continuously whisking. This helps to emulsify the oil so it doesn’t separate from the dressing. Set the dressing aside until the salad is ready.
- FOR THE SALAD:
- Add the spinach leaves to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the strawberries and cucumbers (if adding chicken, add it now). Drizzle the Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing over the salad. Toss to combine. Top with the pistachios.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
If you are serving this salad to guests I suggest your pour the dressing into a dressing carafe and allow guests to dress their salads as they desire. This helps to keep the salad from wilting before it’s eaten and it also allows guests control over their dressing portion.
Due to the delicate strawberries this salad is best when eaten immediately.
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