Fast & Fresh: Blackberry, Blue Cheese, and Spinach Salad

With all the fresh produce of summer it's hard not to take advantage of them. 

This year has been a "Berry" year for me.  I've made more dishes with berries than ever before, and I absolutely love them!

During these hot end of summer days a fresh salad always comes to mind.  I like salads, but I seem to crave them more in the summer months.  Cool, light, crisp, refreshing, and unique flavors to add some zip to a plain old salad.

Today's salad is part of my Fast & Fresh series. 

"Fast & Fresh"

• Simple ingredients
• Fresh and healthy
• Easy prep
• Delishhhh taste!

This salad is perfect for lunch or as a side salad with dinner.  Of course I had to use "berries" in it!  Why wouldn't I?

So I created a Blackberry, Blue Cheese, and Spinach Salad.  YUM!  The flavors of this salad are sweet and tangy.  It has just the right amount of blue cheese and blackberries, and is topped off with a lemon vinaigrette.  All on top of a bed of fresh spinach leaves.  Sounds good huh?

First you make the dressing.  I use a cute little canning jar for this so I can just shake it up and store any left overs in it for a couple of days in the refrigerator.  So to a jar or bowl add your lemon juice, dried thyme, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper, and your olive oil.  If you are making this in a bowl whisk in your olive oil as your slowly drizzle it in to get the dressing to emulsify.  Easy as that!

Next, arrange your spinach on your plates, top with blackberries and drizzle on some salad dressing and toss to coat well.  Then add your blue cheese crumbles.  Your done!  So fast, easy, and oh soooo tasty!

 

So I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It only takes minutes to make but the results are delishhhh!

Blackberry, Blue Cheese, and Spinach Salad

serves 4

Ingredients
 
1 ½ T fresh lemon juice
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 c fresh spinach
1 c blackberries
2 ounces mild blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

In a small bowl or a jar add olive oil, lemon juice, thyme mustard, salt, and pepper.  Whisk together or shake up to mix together.

Divide among 4 salad plates the spinach and berries.  Gently toss with dressing to coat thoroughly.  Crumble blue cheese on each salad. Enjoy!

adapted from a Sunset recipe