Best-Ever Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

It turns out that California has decided to completely skip out the “winter” part of the year and here on the coast of Santa Barbara, we have had almost nothing but sunshine and 70 degree weather. This translates to me wanting to post aalllll the warmer-weather food (fruit! salad! light & scrumptious combos!), but I’ve held back since I didn’t want to tempt all my readers who are still battling snow and cold with ginormous produce-filled photos like THIS.

*proceeds to swoon*

I know I’ve been a bit bad about posting this last week, but I promise I have good reason. I’m just ending the last of my finals (just have my genetics one at 8 am on tomorrow morning!) and then I’m FREEE! My lecture schedule for next quarter is insane in the best possible way, and I only have class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Someone please pinch me 😯 . I have big plans on amping up my blogging, photography, and overall quality of recipes and posts on the blog during that time, so please bear with me as I give everything I have to this last final.

So on to the food! The credit for this recipe goes to my close friend and housemate, Darinne, who has adapted this dish from the one here mama gave to her when she left for college. Her mom used to make this salad for her when she was growing up and it was the ONLY salad she would eat. Darinne is a bit of a picky eater (we call her an alien because she doesn’t like chocolate 😯 ), so her mom wanted to make sure she had an emergency recipe to help her get her greens in. And let me tell ya, this is the perfect healthy and nutrient-packed recipe!

Just think: vibrant and fresh spinach that just screams goodness, plumb and ripe strawberries, toasted almonds for that perfect crunch, and an amazing poppyseed dressing that is full of flavor. My mouth and heart are happy.