There is no more appropriate title for this recipe. I have made it on so many dates, particularly first dates. It’s always a hit with the sweet dressing, fresh strawberries, and crunchy pecans. It’s dead simple and you should make it tonight. Recipe credit goes to… me! You can thank all the too-sweet, and too-milky trials that got me to this result, enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 tub of spinach
- 1 pint of strawberries
- ½ cup pecans
- 4 tbsp Mayo or equivalent (miracle whip etc)
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 2 tbsp White sugar
- 1 tbsp White vinegar
- ½ tbsp Poppy seeds
- Total prep time: 15 mins
- Feeds 4 with dinner or 1 as dinner (haha I love salad)
Preheat oven to 350F. Pour pecans onto a baking sheet. Toast pecans for 6 minutes. If you think this step sounds a bit silly and useless… taste a pecan before you toast it and then after you toast it. You will not regret it. Toasting the pecans gives them a lighter crunch rather than the staler crunch which they have pre-toast. Pecans are also a bit bitter; toasting them eliminates this. Trust me. Toast them.
For the dressing, measure out mayo, milk, sugar, vinegar, and poppy seeds in a small plastic container. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. That’s it. Note that I only make enough dressing for one salad. Because of the milk, this dressing doesn’t last very long. I’m sure it might last a few days but I’d rather not chance it. Besides, it’s so simple you can just keep making it. This dressing is very similar to the Kraft ‘Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing’… but YOU’RE going to make it, talk about impressing the ladies. Seriously though, if a guy A) served me a salad with dinner and B) made the dressing himself… *swoon*.
Wash the strawberries and cut into bite sized pieces. When you’re ready to eat, add the spinach, strawberries, and pecans to a large bowl. Toss with dressing. Serve immediately. If you put the salad together too early it will get soggy. No one likes soggy salad and I assure you, you CAN make friends with salad.