Strawberry Vinaigrette Spinach Salad

Brighten up a typical salad with this delightfully fresh and delicious Strawberry Vinaigrette Spinach Salad. Complete with spinach, apple, strawberries, walnuts and feta, then topped with a Strawberry Vinaigrette, what’s not to love about this spring salad recipe by Madison from A Joyfully Mad Kitchen?

My friend Madison and I met a year or two ago through a blogging community, and we’ve been communicating back and forth ever since! When I asked her about guest posting during my maternity leave, she eagerly agreed. Little did she know that she’d make a recipe that I craved for the latter part of my pregnancy… because strawberries and apples and homemade vinaigrettes were extra delicious (and helped me not eat ALL the cookies.) Without further ado, here’s Madison!

Hi friends! I’m so honored to be here posting for Erin! I couldn’t be happier about her new addition and am so glad to take over her blog for the day. My name is Madison, and I blog at The Wetherills Say I Do, a faith-based lifestyle where I talk about everything from easy recipes, to helpful blogging tips and marriage lessons.

I wouldn’t have considered myself a healthy eater, not until a few years ago. My diet wasn’t extensive and involved a lot of chicken tenders and fries, though it still does occasionally nowadays, too. (Chick-Fil-A, anyone?) But over the years, my tastebuds have evolved and I’ve learned to love healthier foods. Even salads!

I fell in love with this salad when I had something similar at a deli. I can honestly say, besides a Caesar Salad, it was the first salad I ate and truly enjoyed. It’s a salad that is filling and complex enough to keep me interested bite after bite.

An important element to salads is texture. Salads that are all leaf are boring, to me. This salad is packed with texture with a variety of crunches with the walnuts, apples and spinach as well as soft textures from the strawberries and feta cheese.

Another huge element to a successful salad is the dressing. I knew I wanted to make this homemade and I’m so glad I did! Truthfully, I had never made salad dressing from scratch before, but I’ve made it one of my goals to challenge myself this year in cooking. So this was a huge success!

This salad is definitely customizable as far as what your tastes are. You could vary the fruits or cheese and even add croutons if that appeals to you! I’ve also had this salad with grilled chicken, but for this one I really preferred the light and airiness of a vegetarian salad idea.

What is your favorite type of salad to eat?

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Madison is a faith-based lifestyle blogger who also runs a graphic design and photography studio, Grace + Vine Studios. She has a passion for helping others, whether it be through easy recipes, helpful blogging tips or posts about faith. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and boxer pup.