Spring Berry Pistachio Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette – Fresh Vegan Spinach Salad with Ripe, Sweet Strawberries, Raspberries and Blackberries
Berries play a part in some pretty interesting historical folklore. In Bavaria, an annual tradition involves tying baskets of strawberries to the horns of cattle each spring. The strawberries are an offering to the elves; some Bavarians living in the countryside believe that the elves are very fond of strawberries, and will bless them with healthy new calves and lots of fresh milk in return. Here’s another fun one – blackberry bushes were once thought to protect a home from vampires. The story claims that a vampire would become too distracted with counting all of the berries on a plant to remember his original plan. In ancient Greek folklore Ida, the nursemaid to an infant Zeus, was left with red stained fingers for all eternity after pricking her her fingers on raspberry brambles.
All of these berry tidbits add up to one very tasty Spring Berry Pistachio Salad with a sweet-tart Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. On its own this salad is full of flavor and naturally vegan, but don’t shy away from experimenting. I’ve topped it with gorgonzola, feta or even sliced marinated chicken breast for a boost of protein…. all tasty options. Enjoy!
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Beauty shots and styling by Bethany Nauert.
Spring Berry Pistachio Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- 2 cups strawberries rinsed and sliced
- 1 pint blackberries rinsed
- 1 pint raspberries rinsed
- 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios shelled and toasted
Dressing Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon whole grain dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
NOTES
Instructions
- To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Gently toss the salad ingredients together. Serve topped with the maple balsamic dressing. If the dressing has separated, simply whisk again to combine.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Other Great Recipe Ideas
This sounds delicious! I am trying to cut down and or eliminate oil. Do you think I could cut down the amount of oil in the dressing? Thank you, I love your blog😊
Hi Linda – yes, absolutely! I think you could actually eliminate the oil completely and it would still taste nice.
This sounds so yummy – and I just got spinach, fresh strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Will have to substitute the nuts, and leave out the maple syrup as my husband has diabetes so we like to go sugar/sweet free (except for the fruit!). And I even have some cheese I can crumble on top – thankful for finding this as I am trying to find healthy recipes during this stay at home season! I enjoy your recipes – thank you!
I added grilled to make it dinner salad. It was outstanding!!
Made this today for my early Easter dinner, and it was a colossal hit! Everybody enjoyed it, especially the dressing! Thank you!
Happy to hear that Teresa! 🙂 I absolutely love this dressing.
Delicious, made it this weekend. Love the maple flavor in the dressing!
Mmmmm, inspiring
What time will you be serving??