I long ago gave up the standard lettuce and tomato salad for the majority of the year. Never one to enjoy winter tomatoes in the first place I limited my favorite salad combo to summers only and even then ONLY when fresh, garden tomatoes were available. Somewhere along the way I started using combinations of fruits and cheese to make my salads interesting and available year round.
One of my favorite combinations has always been to combine some crumbled goat cheese with a seasonal fruit; for this post where I worked in conjunction with Sprouts using their branded products, I stepped it up a bit and this Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese Rounds has become a new favorite.
You might have seen me mention Sprouts in my posts before; I just love shopping there. Honestly one reason is their size; I don't need a megastore; I much prefer a smaller environment and the ambiance that accompanies it. Since my kids are now both on their own, I've switched my meat buying from a warehouse store to Sprouts and it's where I purchase all of my fruits and vegetable and organic grocery goods. I'm sold on their name brand products and that's what I chose to use today for this salad; incorporating their Organic Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar and Honey into a dressing to be served over fresh greens with some baked goat cheese rounds.
The combination is perfect; a lovely tang from the cheese accompanied by a strawberry dressing a bit on the sweet side but with a nice acidic kick from the Balsamic Vinegar. This is the perfect time of year for this salad with markets now filled with big, ripe berries but don't let it stop you in mid summer either. Switch out the strawberries for some raspberries or blackberries and it's just as fantastic. Fall? How about some apple slices and walnuts in the salad with a dressing that has a hint of apple cider vinegar?
The salad and dressing are perfect for so many combinations maybe I should have called it 'Mix and Match Fruit Salad with Goat Cheese?' It's light, bright and yet still rich with the warm goat cheese. Try it and let me know...we simply loved it!
Serves 4 servings
10 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
Instructions
Want more recipes featuring Sprouts branded products?
Check out their website at Sprouts Brand for summertime favorites.
