This summer spinach salad with avocado dressing is for the laid back, easy breezy side of you. It’s for the times when you’re craving something substantial, yet light, and something that’s quick, easy and doesn’t require heat to make it. Because it’s summer, and you want to be outside, not stuck in a kitchen.
Alex made this for me yesterday and I’m hooked. We ate it outside while we watched two of our three pups run in circles on the lawn with big smiles on their faces. Gizmo just chilled on the patio furniture and watched us eat our high carb (the good kind), low fat, and delicious summer spinach salad.
The beauty of this salad is that it is substantial enough to be called an entrée. One big giant plate of this is all you’ll need to fill your belly and recharge your body. Spinach will do that for you. Remember Popeye the Sailor Man? He ate his spinach so he would be strong to the finish. Smarty pants. He knew that spinach was a superfood before that marketing term was coined.
Spinach truly is a powerhouse when it comes to nourishing your body. One cup will provide you with the following daily value of nutrients:
- 987% of vitamin K
- 105% of vitamin A
- 84% manganese
- 66% folate
- 39% magnesium
- 36% iron
- 34% copper
And those are just seven of the twenty three vitamins and nutrients that you will get from one seven calorie cup of spinach!
This summer spinach salad also has magical chickpeas for more protein and fiber, green onions, tomatoes, and corn. Here’s a healthy trivia question for you. How many grams of protein are in one cup of corn? Sixteen whopping grams! That’s thirty-two percent of the daily recommended allowance for a two thousand calories a day diet. Now you know how to answer someone when they ask you how a vegan get's their protein.
Now let’s talk about the dressing.
This light and creamy avocado dressing is oil free and it’s sooooo good. Alex has been trying to avoid eating oil as much as possible so she used water, limes, and white wine vinegar to create this heavenly salad dressing.
It’s so easy to make. All you need to do is put the ingredients in a blender and hit the blend button. It’s not at all heavy and it coats the salad perfectly. I’m not a fan of gloppy dressing so I was thrilled with the weight of this. It makes a lot too, so only use one quarter of the amount and store the rest for later. It also makes a great dipping sauce.
Make this summer spinach salad this weekend and eat it outside in the sunshine. Your body and mind will thank you.
Tell me….
Do you love spinach as much as I do?
What’s your favorite kind of salad dressing? Do you like vinaigrette or creamy dressing best?
What are you doing this weekend?
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