This summer salad is one of my favourite side dishes to make. Quite often it becomes the star of the show. I started making this for lunches back during my Master’s degree because its easy to make and I didn’t have to worry about heating anything for lunch. One time I went home to visit my family and we had a BBQ. I was cooking but I realised I was so excited to make the dinner, I forgot to plan a side dish! I spent 5 minutes, rummaging through the refrigerator and found all I needed to make a beautiful summer salad!

This Summer Salad is perfect for any meal

Don’t let the name fool you. This summer salad is a perfect side dish all year round. I made this for my family, my whole family, for Thanksgiving last year which was amazing. Because of the COVID lockdowns in Australia, I hadn’t been able to get home to the USA for 3 years. In 2022, I finally managed to get home for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely amazing!

I was so excited that I was able to take part in the cooking. To me, cooking is one of the best ways to show someone you love them. You are giving food that fuels their body and mind and spirit! Preparing food for others is such an incredible way to show someone you love them. You are making someone else a meal to fill their belly and fuel their body. What a gift! This Thanksgiving, I was asked to bring my salad.

What’s so special about this Summer salad?

For me, it’s the little moments around these dishes that make them so special. For Thanksgiving dinner, we were at one of my aunt and uncle’s house. I was standing in my aunt’s kitchen with some of my cousins and other aunts around making this salad. As I was getting things ready, I was sharing some of my experiences from Australia and one of my uncles, my godfather, walked through the kitchen and just watched me make the salad and said “I am just really impressed you can cut and prepare everything so precisely, and it looks so easy to do. It’s so cool to watch”.

These little moments made me so happy because I had missed them for 3 long years. I missed cooking for my family for 3 years. These are the people that got me interested in cooking so many years ago. While I was making the salad, I just felt a sense of peace. The cherry on top was seeing that the salad was completely gone from the Thanksgiving feast. I was able to provide something to my family that I hadn’t for such a long time. For that I thank God each and every day! 

How long does this take to make?

Whether you are making food for a holiday for your family or just a regular meal during the week, this salad takes about 5 minutes to make and is absolutely delicious! There is minimal preparation time (unless you are talking of course). The spinach is brilliantly paired with veggies, berries, and goat cheese. These pack in the flavour and all the wonderful nutrients. 

What’s in my Summer Salad

You can switch the berries out for whatever berry you like best. I usually use what is in season. Give it a try and let me know what you think! If you want more recipes, get one of my 6 recipe books today!