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Summer Fresh Strawberry Salad with Mint Poppy Seed Dressing

5 from 5 reader reviews
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons champagne/white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup/agave nectar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 small shallot, peeled
  • ½ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad

  • 8-10 oz butter lettuce (also known as Bibb, Boston or butter Crunch)
  • 2 cups chopped strawberries
  • ¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup shelled salted pistachios, chopped
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and diced

Instructions

  • Make the dressing. In an upright blender, combine the lemon juice, champagne vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon, shallot, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add the mint leaves and blend slowly until the mint appears finely minced in the dressing. Pour the dressing into a measuring cup/jar and stir in the poppy seeds. Set aside.
  • Remove the cores of the butter lettuce and chop/tear into bite sized pieces. Place the lettuce in a large serving bowl. Add the strawberries, mint, and half of the pistachios. Season with salt and pepper and pour on half of the dressing. Gently toss to combine. Top the salad with avocado, chopped pistachios, and drizzle the remaining dressing (or as much as you’d like). Enjoy immediately.

Equipment

  • Blender

Recipe Notes

  • You could top this salad with toasted sunflower seeds to keep it completely nut-free.
  • Vegan Worcestershire sauce contains wheat. To make this gluten-free, simply substitute the same amount of Tamari.
  • I used 3 small heads of butter lettuce here.
  • If there's a vegan feta that you love, a couple handfuls of it crumbled on top would be excellent!
A poppy seed dressing that isn't cloying or one-note -- blended with shallot, fresh lemon, and mint in stages for a sweet, tart, and fresh result that works on almost any summer salad. Butter lettuce, sliced strawberries, avocado, and salted pistachios round it all out. Ready in 20 minutes.