This is a sponsored post. This post is brought to you by Marzetti® Simply Dressed® and BlogHer.
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This Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing) is so good, you might as well double the recipe when you're making it! The recipe is filled with so much flavor, that I'm having a hard time finding the right words to describe it but I will try. 🙂 Let's start with the salad ingredients. They are amazing: fresh produce (spinach), combined with fresh fruit, nuts, and dried cranberries:
Look how pretty the salad looks when all ingredients are mixed together. Just look at all those natural colors. I love to make salads that use the most vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables:
But what really boosts the flavor of this salad and combines all the fresh fruit and the fresh produce together so well is the amazing dressing: Marzetti Simply Dressed Balsamic Vinaigrette. The dressing is so good that my husband, who never eats salads for lunch, ate a whole bowl of it at noon and asked for seconds! Eating a huge amount of salad for lunch is so out-of-the character for my husband that I was shocked. It is really one of the best tasting store-bought balsamic vinaigrettes that I ever tried!
What I also love about this dressing is that it uses a minimal number of simple ingredients, such as extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, etc. It has no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors or colors added. I see this dressing as a great way to incorporate more fresh green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, and other produce into my family's diet. Perfect for a fresh lifestyle!
There is something else that I really appreciate about this dressing. I am currently gluten free. Naturally, first thing I did was to visit the Marzetti Simply Dressed website, and, lo and behold, all of their dressings (except Ginger Sesame) are clearly marked as gluten-free! Few things in life make me happier these days than seeing a clear gluten free label on a product I like! 🙂
Because Marzetti Simply Dressed dressings have no preservatives, they have to be refrigerated, so make sure to look for them in the refrigerated section of grocers’ produce departments. You will definitely find me looking and searching for more flavors of this brand: I really want to try their Champagne Salad Dressing, Pomegranate Salad Dressing, or Strawberry Poppyseed Salad Dressing, to name just a few!
Make sure not to add the dressing to the salad until serving time, otherwise the spinach will wilt quickly. Add the dressing right before you’re ready to serve! Also, drizzle just enough dressing to coat the leaves--don’t pour all of it at once--let your taste buds be your guide and use just enough to coat the salad lightly! Enjoy!
Apple Cranberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, Avocados (and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing)
Ingredients
- 8 oz baby spinach about 10 cups of torn leaves
- 1 Granny Smith apple sliced
- 1 Gala apple sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 cup pecans halves
- 2 mandarin oranges whole fresh, peeled; or 1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- Marzetti® Simply Dressed® Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup mayo
- ⅓ cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey or more, to taste
Instructions
- Chop ¼ cup of pecan halves into smaller bites - set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except for ¼ cup of chopped pecan halves.
- You can use store-bought creamy balsamic dressing of your choice, or make one from scratch using this recipe.
- Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a mason jar and whisk to emulsify with a fork. Taste, and add more mayo for more creaminess, if desired. Add more honey for more sweetness, if desired.
- Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the salad. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Note: This post is sponsored by Marzetti and the product has been provided by them. The opinions and ideas expressed are my own.
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This is a sponsored post. This post is brought to you by Marzetti® Simply Dressed® and BlogHer.
Tried this last night, definitely a keeper!
So glad you tried it and loved it! 🙂
I made this last night and my husband kept telling me how much he hated cooked spinach. I kept assuring him fresh spinach was different. He about licked the bowl clean he loved this so much and told me I could "put it in the rotation" for dinners. I used candied pecans and eliminated the oranges and avocado as I'm not a fan. I also added grilled chicken for protein and home made croutons. Definitely a keeper.
Joye, your comment made my day and made me smile at the same time! 🙂 I am so flattered! Thank you for sharing this story about your husband - I loved it! Love that you used candied pecans and added grilled chicken for protein! 🙂