Strawberry-Cucumber Salad with Almonds and Mint in Strawberry Vinaigrette
Since the vinaigrette is made with strawberry preserves, you get an extra blast of strawberry sweetness in every bite. English cucumbers dish up a juicy crunch while toasted almonds provide just enough nuttiness to balance the flavours in the dish.
1/3 cup (75 mL) slivered almonds
2 tablespoons (30 mL) seedless strawberry preserves or strawberry jam
1 tablespoon (15 mL) olive oil
2 teaspoons (10 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Dijon mustard
3 cups (750 mL) diced English (seedless) cucumber (about 1 whole English cucumber, chopped)
1 cup (250 mL) sliced fresh strawberries (or frozen, thawed strawberries, halved)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lettuce leaves for serving, such as Bibb, Romaine, or red leaf lettuce
This salad doesn’t just make an awesome side dish; it’s an excellent topping for chicken, turkey, pork, and fish. When using as a topping, cut the strawberries and cucumber into smaller (1/2-inch) pieces.
Place almonds in a small, dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until almonds are golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the preserves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Add the cucumber, strawberries, mint and toasted almonds and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve inside lettuce leaves or over chopped lettuce.
Makes 4 servings
Active time: 10-15 minutes
Start to finish time: 10-15 minutes
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Per serving for 4 servings: 145 calories, 8.5 g total fat (0.9 g saturated fat, 5.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1.6 g polyunsaturated fat), 16 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 3.5 g fibre, 63 mg calcium, 49 mg magnesium, 67 mg sodium, 359 mg potassium, 3.2 mg vitamin E
