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Berry Spinach Salad with Spicy Maple Sunflower Seeds


If you want to enjoy the summer berries right now without the loaded calories of whipping cream and shortcake, here's a recipe for you.  We've had this salad twice this month and I'm not sure what I like most about it; the maple sunflower seeds or the oil/vinegar dressing with a hint of Dijon mustard and more maple syrup.  The combination of all of it put together is so good.  The nutrient-dense superfood of spinach and the berries loaded with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids are sure to boost your immune system during this era of coronavirus and we all need that right now.  I made this salad for Memorial Day, thus the red, white and blue theme.


Lauren and Bruce went jogging at Alki beach while I tended to the barbecue.  I'm trying to perfect a recipe that was one of my favorites my dad always made; barbecued pot roast.  I always requested this on my birthday and since my birthday is in the summer, my dad would make it for me and it was my most favorite summer dinner.  He would make his own barbecue sauce and put the roast in a cage and hook it onto a spit where it would cook on the rotisserie all day long going around and around.   I've never been able to duplicate the way he made it but I came close on Memorial Day this year.  His birthday is always near Memorial Day, on May 26th, so I always think about him this time of year.  He passed away in 1993 and for awhile, our family would have a barbecue get-together on the anniversary of his passing on August 28.  Somewhere over the years, we stopped.  It probably had to do with us moving to Idaho in 1998.  But I still think of those barbecues a lot.  And someday I will perfect that barbecue pot roast and post it on this blog.  The one I made on Monday was the closest I came.  We don't have a rotisserie so I have to still figure out the right cooking strategy.  It wasn't perfect but it was pretty close.  

Since we still can't get together in large groups, this is a good time for me to practice recipes.  My family has never minded that I experiment on them.  The pot roast was still too tough, the potatoes I made were a new recipe that I nearly burned, but the salad was right on!  (Lauren thought the potatoes were amazingly good but she said she likes things really crispy.)  And, of course, I already posted the strawberry rhubarb crisp that was our dessert. You can see that everyone loved it. 


I got this recipe from Cookie and Kate that is a whole food and vegetarian blog that has lots of good recipes.  (Kate's dog's name is Cookie who licks up all her crumbs and is so cute.)  You can make this salad for the Fourth of July if you're looking for a red, white and blue theme.  The white is crumbled goat cheese that has a nice, tangy flavor and a pleasant change from feta cheese.  I made the sunflower seeds the day before which is a good idea because that way the flavoring on the seeds sticks to it better and does not wash off from the dressing.  Toss the salad right before serving because it does get soggy quickly.

Serves 3 side salads

Sunflower Seeds

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1-1/2 tsp. maple syrup
pinch of salt
dash cayenne, optional if you like spice

Salad

5 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
1-1/2 cups total raspberries, blueberries and/or chopped strawberries
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Balsamic vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste

1.  To prepare the sunflower seeds, warm a small  non-stick skillet over medium heat and add the sunflower seeds.


2.  Let the sunflower seeds warm up a bit, then pour in the maple syrup, a pinch of salt and a tiny dash of cayenne pepper, if desired.


3.  Toast the seeds while stirring constantly until most of the maple syrup has evaporated and the sunflower seeds are turning lightly golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer seeds to a plate to cool.

4.  In a serving bowl, combine the spinach, berries, crumbled goat cheese and sunflower seeds.


5. In a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified. 


6.  Just before serving, drizzle in enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the leaves (you might have leftover dressing) and gently toss.  Serve immediately. 



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