I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend, and enjoyed a couple extra days off. We originally thought of going somewhere for a few days, but decided against it. Instead we took advantage of living 60 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park, and did a couple gorgeous hikes. If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen that on the 4th we hiked to the top of Mt. Chiquita. It was about a 6 mile hike, but we get up to over 13,000 feet. Then on Saturday we hiked for just over 9 miles to a few mountain lakes, and got to hike up part of a waterfall. Then on Sunday, we went for a 30 mile bike ride on trails around Fort Collins. It was a busy and active weekend; my favorite kind!
I have struggled with cooking this summer. I don’t know what my problem is, but nothing really sounds good lately. It has been so hot, not a lot has been appealing. I don’t really want to turn on the oven to heat up the house, plus I want it to be light and fresh to match the season. For those of you following along, we ordered a new grill! Hopefully it will be here by this weekend, because grilling turkey burgers, chicken, and shrimp is all I want to cook lately! And this salad.
This salad has become a staple in my life. Lunch, dinner, as a side; doesn’t matter to me. I have had it probably 6 times in the last 2 weeks. It is also really good with sauteed or grilled chicken breasts to make it a meal. Traditionally you see vinaigrette dressings made with poppy seeds, but I thought why not make it a little healthier and use chia seeds. You can’t taste them at all, but they up the nutritional factor a little. The dressing lasts for a few days in the fridge, so feel free to double or triple the recipe, and have it on hand for quick salads all week.
Berry Almond Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette
Strawberries, Blueberries, and Sliced Almonds over a bed of Spinach and topped with a Chia Seed Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Chia Seed Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbls chia seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- Spinach
- Strawberries, , sliced
- Blueberries
- Sliced Almonds
- Avocado, , diced
- Grilled chicken, , optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Or place all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well.
- Top a bed of spinach with avocado, strawberries and blueberries. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Drizzle about 2 Tbls of vinaigrette over spinach, for 1 salad.
- Store extra vinaigrette in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 560Total Fat 49gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 40gCholesterol 51mgSodium 248mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 9gSugar 3gProtein 22g
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Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Such a beautiful and simple salad! Sounds like you had a nice weekend with all of that exercise and fresh air!!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
beautiful! I haven’t ever done anything w/ chia seeds yet, but maybe I should jump on that bandwagon 🙂
Christiane ~ Taking On Magazines says
You made my legs hurt just from reading your description of that hike! It sounds like you had a blast though. Your salad does look delicious and I’m not surprised that you’ve had so much of it. I love the berries and avocado together.
Nora @ Buttercream Fanatic says
This salad is so beautiful! I totally sympathize with you – It’s hard to motivate yourself to cook when the weather is so warm. Simple, beautiful salads like these are where it’s at!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love berry salads, this would make a perfect summer lunch!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Yum! I love fruit on salads. Now I just need to get my hands on some chia seeds
steph@stephsbitebybite says
I have never thought to use chia seeds in dressings! So smart!!
Tracey says
I’ve never used chia seeds, but they’re everywhere lately so I think I’m probably the last person holding out. This salad is gorgeous, so colorful for summer!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This looks like the perfect summer salad! Yum!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Love this colorful summer salad, Erin! It looks so scrumptious and perfect with the vinaigrette. Great dish all around!
Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet} says
Loving this perfect summer salad! Never thought to use Chia seeds in a vinaigrette. Love it!
Patty says
I’m impressed with all your hiking and biking in the beautiful part of the country where you live -it’s great that you take advantage of all the outdoor activities 😉 I can just imagine enjoying this salad with grilled chicken for a meal after a good appetite building hike!
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Great idea to swap out poppy seeds for chia seeds! I’m going to have to experiment with them more!
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
Gorgeous salad! And, all of the hiking sounds awesome 🙂
Megan {Country Cleaver} says
That is one heck of a weekend!! Sounds amazing! And so does this salad. I’m so totally sick of sandwiches for lunch, I need a change of pace – this is perfect!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Same here. I haven’t made anything proper since I got back from the US. Laaazy (and I’m talking about myself here, not you ;))
I would gladly pick off the strawberries from this salad. That would make a great dinner. 🙂
And wow, that’s a lot of hiking! Good job.
Jen Laceda @ Tartine and Apron Strings says
Sorry for the absence. We lost power in Toronto because of flash floods, and we were some of the unlucky ones who didn’t have electricity for 3 days! Power is back up now, so it’s back to blogging “business” for me!
This salad is simply stunning. I adore the colours – so vivid and vibrant. Also, very healthy with the spinach, avocado, and strawberry! YUM.com is calling…hello?!?
The Café Sucre Farine says
This is a gorgeous salad. I can certainly see why it has become a staple. And it’s loaded with such great stuff, yum!
Stacy Molter says
Thank you for this delish Labor Day recipe idea! I’ve included your post in my 15 Delicious Labor Day BBQ Party Recipes round-up.
Have a great week!
http://stacymolter.com/2013/08/15-delicious-labor-day-bbq-party-recipes/
ronnie says
This bright salad was the perfect lunch!
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