The Perfect Summer Salad

Hey Everyone, Happy Earth Day! I have a much more chipper post for you today. Oh, and it involves food, which is always a plus in my book

I was provided with the opportunity to get involved with Driscoll’s Berries for an Earth Day post that involved their organic (and delicious) berries. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity because I love me some good berries. Driscoll’s is actually the largest grower of organic berries in the country because a large number of the farmers they work with specialize in growing organic.

I wanted to incorporate their delicious organic berries in one of my favorite summer dishes, Berry and Goat Cheese Salad w/Strawberry Vinaigrette. I realize it’s not summer yet, but the temperatures are high, the scenery is green, and I have a barbeque to attend after I finish this post. There’s no reason not to start the summer loving now! I’m going to largely keep measurements out of this recipe because it’s a salad, which means you can do whatever you want with it really.

Berry and Goat Cheese Salad w/Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
- Your favorite greens
- Good goat cheese (I used Haystack)
- Fresh organic berries
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Sweetener (I used Stevia)

To Make the Vinaigrette:
1. In a food processor/blender, put in at least half a cup of strawberries.
2. Add in 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar (I used more because I put in a ton of berries) and 1table spoon of olive oil.
3. Blend until well combined and all berries are pureed.
3. Add in sweetener to taste (I used 2 packets of Stevia) and blend again.

For the Salad:
1. Load up your greens, toss berries and goat cheese on top.
2. Add the vinaigrette (to taste) right before serving. This will prevent you from having a gross, soggy salad.
(optional) You can also top with nuts, chicken, and whatever you please to have the perfectly crisp, sweet, and refreshing summer salad.

As an additional nod to Earth Day, here are some tips from Driscoll’s to help reduce your carbon footprint in other ways.

• Celebrate “Meatless Monday” –Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions, as well as help reduce your carbon footprint and save resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.
• Deepen your commitment to organic for Earth Day by putting a few more items into your grocery cart each week with the USDA certified organic seal.
• Go from wasteful to resourceful by packing your kids’ lunches in reusable containers instead of plastic bags. This will reduce your carbon footprint AND save you money.

I hope that you have a beautiful Earth Day. I’m headed out to the park with my yummy salad to share! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday

[Disclosure: I was compensated for the cost of the products, but my thoughts and the recipe are all my own.]

Question of the Day: What do you do on a regular basis to help reduce your carbon footprint?