Spring Strawberry Salad with cucumber and feta

This salad was born of having absolutely nothing in my refrigerator to eat.  At least that’s exactly what it feels like when I open the refrigerator doors and find lettuce, and a hunk of cucumber, almost past strawberries, and a little nugget of feta from a few nights past.  Nothing.  Nothing.  Are there any more crackers left in the pantry and how is it that this little cold-house of food never has anything I want to eat in it?  That’s my hungry brain who is also rather bratty and sees no food when looking directly at food. 

This salad is a very loose play on a Greek salad, but I’m likely just saying that because it has cucumbers and feta. In this iteration I’ve substituted sliced strawberries for fresh tomatoes which, in this early Spring, brings a renewed sweetness to the salad as I find strawberries sweeter than tomatoes this time of year.  I’ve made this salad with both tomatoes and strawberries together with great success.  You can even throw in some chopped chives without batting an eye.  What I’m getting at:  the strawberry is more savory versatile than you might expect…. and there’s usually something reasonable to hustle out of the fridge (especially when the crackers are gone). 

Here’s our gather: 

Greens:  I love a chopped butter lettuce with the salad.  The leaves are tender but strong enough to hold some clunky ingredients and dressing.  I mixed the butter lettuce with fresh arugula because there just happened to be a handful in a bag languishing in the crisper.  If you’d like to use spinach or throw some kale in the mix, I would say you’re absolutely on the right track. 

Chicken:  grilled, chilled and chopped. 

Fresh Cucumber: chopped.

Fresh Strawberries: ripe and sliced. 

Feta + Chopped Pistachios + Salt and Pepper + Oil and Vinegar

This salad is as easy as it seems once the ingredients are chopped.  Piled atop the lettuce, sprinkled generously with salt and pepper.  I would encourage a generous amount of feta cheese and chopped pistachios.  The more cream and crunch the better.  

The easy road… the road that just wants salad dinner on the table as soon as possible… sprinkle the salad with balsamic and olive oil and toss to coat. 

The slightly more complex road… the road that has one more dirty dish and a bit more chopping… combine a bit of honey and dijon with balsamic, olive oil, and fresh chopped tarragon in a mason jar.  Season with salt and pepper and shake until emulsified.  That’s a delightful way to toss this salad too.  

End of the road: both delicious!

Strawberry Spring Salad with cucumbers and feta

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• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 15
• Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients

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• 6 heaping cups of lettuce greens (butter lettuce and arugula are a nice combination)
• 1/2 an English cucumber, sliced into half moons
• 1 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
• 1 cooked chicken breast, cooled and diced
• heaping 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

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Instructions

1. Toss together all of the salad ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. In a small mason jar combine honey, mustard, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and tarragon. Place a lid on the mason jar and shake vigorously. Drizzle over the salad. Toss with more feta and pistachios if you’d like and enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4