Crisp Arugula Salad

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 cups baby arugula
10-12 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup raisins (I used currants)

Combine dressing ingredients in the bottom of your salad bowl.  Add greens, fruit, nuts, raisins and toss to coat ingredients with dressing.

*You may use berries, pear or apple slices, tangerines, unsweetened dried cranberries, hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds.  You can change the salad completely by adding cherry tomatoes and cucumbers or olives and leaving out the fruit.

(Basic, simple, delicious.)

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw, unsalted, cashew pieces
2 pitted dates, roughly chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. strawberries, hulled and halved
11 oz. blueberries
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint

Put cashews into a large bowl, cover with water and set aside at room temperature to let soak for 4 hours or overnight; drain well.  Transfer to a food processor (Vitamix works well!); add dates, vanilla and 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. warm water and puree until smooth.  In a large serving bowl, toss together strawberries, blueberries, and mint.  Serve with cashew cream.

(This cashew cream is awesome!  A healthy whipped cream alternative that would be delicous served with anything!  Seriously good!)

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

(recipe from The Philadelphia Inquirer)

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
Ground black pepper, to taste

Bring the vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice to a simmer in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer, reducing syrup by half (about 3 Tbsp.), about 3 minutes.  Transfer syrup to a small bowl; let cool.

With a spoon, lightly toss the berries and brown sugar in a large bowl.  Let stand until the sugar dissolves and the berries exude some juice, 10 to 15 minutes.  Pour the cooled vinegar syrup over the berries.  Add pepper; toss to combine.

Divide berries among dessert bowls or goblets.  Serve.

("The strawberries can stand alone, but other possibilities abound:  Ladle them over mascarpone cheese, spoon them over ice cream, or use them to jazz up a shortcake.  You can even move from the dessert line and toss them with spinach leaves and toasted pecans as a very different salad course."  I ate them alone, and they were delightful!)

Roasted Strawberry Salad

(recipe from Thug Kitchen, and I'm going to write it exactly as it appears there...)

16 medium strawberries, about 1 lb.
1 tsp. olive oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup coconut flakes (you can use sliced almonds to save some cash)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. olive oil
a big bunch of basil, chopped into thin strips, about 2/3 cup
salt and pepper to taste
1 big head of lettuce (green leaf, spinach, butter, whatthefuckever kind of lettuce is fine)

Warm up your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the tops off the strawberries and throw that shit out.  Slice the berries in half lengthwise.  Toss them in a bowl with the teaspoon of olive oil and salt.  Mix that shit up good so everything is coated.  Put the strawberries cut side down on a cookie sheet.  I hate doing dishes so I usually cover the cookie sheet with foil or something because the strawberries can release some juice and it's annoying as fuck to clean.  Roast the strawberries for 10 minutes.  Throw the coconut flakes in their own section on the cookie sheet and then roast them at the same time for 3 more minutes or until the coconut looks toasted.  Let everything cool the fuck down to about room temperature.

Mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, and oil in a small glass.  Toss the lettuce and the basil in a big bowl and add as much of the dressing, salt, and pepper as you like.  Make sure everything is coated and then put the strawberries and coconut flakes on top.  Arrange that shit so it looks nice.  If you don't feel like fucking with the oven, then just leave the strawberries raw.  I don't give a shit JUST EAT A FUCKING SALAD or 10.

(This is a tasty salad.  The strawberries do release a lot of juice when roasted.  I added all of that juice to my dressing, and it made the vinaigrette look so pretty, like a sunset.  In the future, I would fiddle with the ratios of the vinaigrette, maybe less oil?)