Recipe: Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ok- so I am making a pact that every sunday I am going to the Minneapolis farmers market. I went yesterday and loaded up on some amazing fresh and local food!

Can you believe I got all this food for only $30?!!

6 huge bunches of lettuce, 2 bunches spinach, 2 bunches Kale, radishes, sweet peas (that are soooo crisp and juicy- you’d never get ’em like this in the store), pea shoots, bananas and lemons (not local or organic but you’re just not gonna see those grown in MN!), 2 jars of raw honey (both local- this is where the bulk of my $ went!) and a lastly big bunch of lilies (for my mother-in-law).

This was a steal of a deal! So, how can I afford not to go every weekend, right?

These peas were picked at the perfect time with not a single blemish on them, they are perfectly sweet and juicy!!

When I hit the market I try to go early, you get the best selection and it’s less busy. Our market is huge and packed with hundreds of people- even at 7:30 on  Sunday morning!! Forget going at 11 or 12, its back to back people and you barely get to talk to the vendors.

When I got home from the market it was about 8:30, just in time to make breakfast and wake up the boys. I was thinking with all the lettuce I just got, a fruit vinaigrette would be a perfect compliment for a breakfast salad! I had some strawberries on hand, so that’s what I used.

I am sort of what I call an “intuitive cook”. I like recipes but mostly I go by what “feels” right. Sometimes this method fails me, but usually it doesn’t.

So I whipped up this batch on pure intuition- just went with what felt right and it turned out pretty darned tasty!

The salad base was lettuce and pea shoots with a handful of peas and radishes.

The vinaigrette:

• 3 large ripe strawberries
• Juice of half a lemon (I threw in a quarter of one of my brined lemons– peel and all)
• About 1 tsp raw honey
• About 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• About 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Puree the strawberries, brined lemon or lemon juice and honey in blender or food processor. I have a mini food processor that I love for doing stuff like this. I suppose an immersion blender would work too.

2. After it’s blended well add the apple cider vinegar.

3. Then, slowly add the olive oil until it thickens to the consistency you want.

That’s it! Easy peasy!

The only thing I wish I had on hand was poppy seeds, that would have made a nice addition, if you have some throw them in at the end.

Lastly, for the salad, I topped it off with some crumbled bacon. This made a delicious Sunday morning breakfast salad!

Make sure you take time to stop and smell the flowers! These lilies were amazing!

This post is shared at TGIF, Sugar Free Sunday , Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Healthy 2 Day, Whole Food Wednesday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways , GAPS friendly fridays, Fight Back Fridays , Fresh Bites Friday, Simple Lives Thursday, Recipe Roundup- Strawberry

This post was featured over at Gluten Free Wednesdays!!