Veronika's Blushing

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Sweet Summer Salad w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette

We are big fruit lovers in this family, especially in the summer time (but really, all year round since it’s pretty much guaranteed toddler food).
 
I love ordering fun salads at different restaurants we go to and I always find myself loving the salads with fruit in them the most. I’ll usually make a mental note or even jot down ingredients in my phone’s notes section about salad combos I particularly like so I can try to replicate them at home.
 
One dressing I’ve never made from scratch but thought would be perfectly sweet for summer is a raspberry vinaigrette. I have purchased it pre-made at the grocery store, but I love the taste and freshness of homemade dressings. It took about two seconds to Google a recipe and I decided to go with Martha Stewart’s raspberry vinaigrette recipe, which you can find here.
 
When deciding what to pair with the dressing, I thought granny smith apples, fresh pears, mozzarella and walnuts would be lovely together over baby spring mix lettuce so I got to chopping. This recipe makes about a 3/4 of a cup of dressing, so definitely enough for several people to eat as a dinner salad. You could also add some grilled chicken for protein, which I’ll probably do the next time around.
The ingredients you need to make this dressing include:
 
1/4 cup raspberries
 
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons raspberry or red-wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • (You can find the directions to make it here)
  • I used a mini food processor to blend the ingredients together instead of using a handheld strainer as the recipe suggested. It turned out to be a super smooth and delicious dressing and I still have some left over for another salad!
  • Once the raspberry vinaigrette was done, I combined the fruit, lettuce, cheese and nuts and then added it on top.
YUM! 

 

If you loved this recipe, I also have a peach summer salad recipe from a couple of years ago that I’m obsessed with. You can find that post/recipe here!
 
And while we’re on the topic of sweet summer salads, as I mentioned before, we find ourselves consuming a lot of fruits in the summer. Everyday sugar (like what’s in fruit) is all around us and it is difficult to avoid.  Aquafresh® toothpaste helps us on this end. Aquafresh® toothpaste is for both kids and adults. It helps protect your teeth from sugar acids and cavities. Aquafresh® toothpaste also includes gentle whiteners for a brighter smile for us adults who could use a little whitening and brightening.
 
Aquafresh® toothpaste is generously sponsoring a giveaway for a $100 Visa gift card as part of this post! All you have to do is leave me a comment on this post (make sure to include your email address so we can contact you if you win). I would love to know your favorite sweet salad summer recipes and combinations so I can try out some more.
 
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Kara says

    Looks yummy!!! I bought a Raspberry Vinaigrette and it was awful with so many ingredients that did not look healthy! Definitely going to try this!

    Reply

  4. Nicole portet says

    Right now I am loving a summer Mandarin romaine salad:) has homemade candied almonds and a refreshing dressing:)

    Reply

  6. Natalie Mattson says

    I love watermelon, kale, toasted pine nuts and goat cheese salad topped with raspberry walnut vinaigrette =) Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  9. Jane says

    My favourite summer salad is Lettuce,cucumber, tomatoes, chichpea, peppers, raisins and granny smith apple with a light lemon olive oil dressing.

    Reply

  10. Kelly Driscoll says

    In the fall my fave is baby spinach, red delicious apples, Gorgonzola, walnuts, and a balsamic vinegaret. Delish!

    Reply

  13. Dana says

    Hi mix together my own dressing of lemon olive oil and strawberry vinaigrette. I put it over everything in the summer, its amazing.

    Reply

  15. Stephanie says

    I don’t usually love sweet salads, but I do like dried cranberries in my salads–especially paired with blue cheese.

    Reply

  20. Leslee Zahn says

    This recipe seems super easy to make! I love salads in the summer so I will have to try this one out. Thanks!!

    Reply

  21. Michelle says

    My go to summer salad was a copy of Panera’s strawberry poppyseed and chicken. I thrown in some spinach, chicken (usually I use Perdue’s short cuts), strawberries & blueberries, a clementine, and some pineapple if we have it. It calls for a poppyseed dressing but with all the fruit in there, I don’t feel a need for it. You can also top it with some almonds!

    Reply

  22. Anabel says

    I actually just made your peach salad last week, I refer to it quite often! That is my favorite summer salad!!

    Reply

  27. Lisa Brown says

    I like cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese, arugula in a salad. The cranberries are sweet but not too sweet for a summer salad.

    Reply

  31. Julie Wood says

    I love my Tropical Summer Salad recipe that I make every year! It is so delicious and easy to make.
    1/2 pineapple (medium, cored cut into 1/2-inch slices)
    1 mango (medium, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices)
    4 cups salad greens (torn)
    1 cup cherry tomatoes ? Tasty tip
    1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
    1/3 cup macadamia nuts
    Spray grill with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat to medium-high heat. Grill pineapple and mango 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Cut grilled fruit into bite sized pieces. In a large salad bowl, mix fruit, greens, and tomatoes; toss lightly. Drizzle with dressing just before serving. Top with macadamia nuts, if desired.

    Reply

  35. Natalie says

    My favorite summer salad contains romaine lettuce, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, grapes and poppyseed dressing!!

    Reply

  40. Kelly D says

    I like a garden salad with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers form the garden, topped with sunflower seeds and balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

    Reply

  44. Cheryl Chambers says

    Broccoli salad is my favourite!

    Mix the following ingredients:
    – one cup of mayonaise
    – 1 quarter cup of sugar l
    – 2 table spoons of lemon juice

    Pour over the below mixed ingredients:
    – 1 to 2 heads of broccoli
    – 1 bunch of green onion
    – 1 cup of chopped celery
    – 1 cup of raisons
    – 1 cup of sunflower seeds
    – 1 half lb of cooked diced bacon

    Toss with above dressing 15 minutes before serving.
    Makes enough for 8.

    Enjoy all of the compliments that you will receive!

    Reply

  47. Debbie B says

    i like a Strawberry Fields Salad – made up of mixed greens, nectarines, strawberries, feta cheese; fresh tomatoes pecans and lemon poppy seed dressing

    Reply

  54. Margie says

    I do enjoy a good salad in the summertime — it’s so refreshing and healthy. I love using our tomatoes from the garden, and usually some salad basics that I might have in the fridge like carrots or spinach.

    Reply

  59. angie says

    I don’t actually like a sweet or fruit salad myself. My favorite light summer salad is very simple and plain but I love it. A mixture of red and green butter lettuce, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (yeah, the fancy stuff hahaha), and your favorite Italian vinaigrette dressing. It is so good and so easy and light.

    Reply

  65. shelly peterson says

    I like to make a green salad with ham, pineapple and a little mozzarella cheese with a vinaigrette dressing.
    cshell090869 at aol dot com

    Reply

  81. Jessamyn says

    I love a spinach salad with craisins and apple chunks! It’s so fresh I don’t even need dressing! I also like to sprinkle some flaxseed over it for extra fiber 🙂 the salad is a great side to grilled chicken and quinoa…delicious!

    Kia (dot) kat (at) gmail (dot) com

    Reply

  82. Barbara M says

    My all time favorite summer salad is a romaine strawberry and walnut salad with a raspberry vinagrette dressing.
    thank you

    barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com

    Reply

  84. Whitney Bellows says

    My favorite salad recipe is simple — taco salad with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, pico, etc with a bit of avocado.

    Reply

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