This baby mixed green berry salad is by far one of the most satisfying salads I’ve ever had. Fresh baby greens topped with blue berries, strawberries, black raspberries, dried cranberries for that extra added sweetness, fresh juicy pomegranate seeds, a sprinkle of pine nuts for the nutty flavor, and some goat or feta cheese for that added creaminess. All This goodness drizzled with a little bit of Balsamic Vinaigrette makes the perfect salad for any season, any day, any occasion, or simply for a light, refreshing, and scrumptious lunch.
What type of greens should you use for this salad?
I personally like to use the spring mix baby greens. This mix usually includes some arugula, spinach, red romaine lettuce, green romaine lettuce, mustard greens, and some other baby greens.
I find that this mix of greens plays well with the berries, cheese, and nuts; however, you can choose to use only baby spinach, but I would not suggest using only romaine lettuce.
I don’t believe that the flavors of the berries would mix well with the romaine lettuce alone. Romaine lettuce has no particular sweetness or bitterness to it. It definitely needs some other type of greens with it.
If you want to make your own simple greens mix, you could use some romaine lettuce, baby spinach, and baby arugula. The spinach will lend in its sweetness while the arugula will add in that slightly mild bitter taste, and the lettuce will come in with its neutral taste. This creates the perfect balance of greens
Why Baby greens?
Baby greens tend to have a mild flavor while mature greens tend to have a much stronger flavor.
Let’s take arugula for example, the bitter taste is much milder in a baby arugula leaf vs. a mature arugula leaf. As the leaf matures it accumulates more of the sulfur compound which gives the leaf its bitter taste.
Similar to arugula, a mature spinach leaf contains more oxalic acid which can cause the leaves to taste bitter. So you definitely want to go for the baby spinach since they tend to contain a lower concentrate of the oxalic acid.
Mature lettuce however tends to have less of a bitter taste than spinach or arugula unless the plant was not watered properly, or exposed to excessive heat.
If you are growing any of these vegetables in your home garden, try growing them in the cooler season because they thrive in the cool weather. When grown in a cool weather, they tend to have a sweeter taste.
The summer heat causes most leafy greens to bolt, which is simply another word for flowering and making seeds. Once exposed to the heat, these leafy greens lose their sweetness and become bitter instead.
Proper watering is also very important. If you do not properly water these leafy greens, they will become nutrient deficient which will cause them to taste bitter.
On a different note, baby greens have less amounts of fiber in them making them easier to chew. You will notice that in mature greens, you will find some green strings as you try to cut them, or chew them. That’s why I would suggest using baby greens instead.
What types of berries should you use?
It really doesn’t matter what type of berries you use as long as you have a combination of sweet and slightly sour berries.
I personally find that store-bought raspberries lack in flavor, that is why I do not use them. On the other hand, I find that black raspberries are superior in flavor.
I also like to use pomegranate seeds for their delicious and unique sweet and tangy flavor, but if you do not like pomegranate seeds, you can skip them. The salad will still taste delicious.
The dried cranberries add a different texture along with another layer of sweetness.
A salad on its own is healthy, but adding all these berries turns it into a super food. Berries are a great source of anti oxidants.
I am no doctor, and I am not giving you any medical advice. Please go to your physician for medical advice.
with all that out of the way, berries are said to detoxify the body, help fight inflammation, may help in reducing cholesterol levels, and may help against cancer along with many other benefits. That’s why I try to include them in a lot of different recipes. But like I said, I am no doctor, and I am not making any claims. Please consult your physician for medical advice.
What type of cheese should you use?
You’ll want to use a creamy, but tangy cheese. I find that both goat cheese, and fetta cheese work great for this application. They both are slightly tangy and creamy.
The tanginess and creaminess of these cheeses play so well with the berries, as well as the greens. It is sort of like having a creamy dressing on your salad, but without the excessive fat, or sort of like having a cheese cake topped with berries, but without the excess calories.
Since I am not a cheese expert, but I would love to be one, I don’t know of any other cheeses that have this similar aspect to them. If you do know of any, please share them with us in the comments below, I am sure that many of us would like to know!
what types of nuts to use?
I like to use pine nuts because they have a mild nutty flavor, but they also have a slight creaminess to them.
Other types of nuts that you can use would be pecans or candied pecans, walnuts, and slivered almonds.
A little bit of red onion adds a bit of spiciness that blends in so well with the rest of the flavors in this salad.
The dressing
Many types of dressings would work with this salad, but my favorite is right here, my balsamic vinaigrette
Other types of salad dressing that could work with this salad would be a yogurt dressing, creamy poppy dressing, and fruity vinaigrettes.
Check below for the printable recipe.
Mixed Greens Berry Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Measuring cups
- Chopping board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby mixed greens
- 1 cup cubed fresh strawberries
- ½ cup blue berries
- ½ cup black berries
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1/3 cup julienned red onions
- ¼ cup pine nuts or roasted almonds
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
Instructions
- You can either layer the salad, by sprinkling a bit of each thing, or you can toss it all together and keep a little of the fruits, nuts and cheese to garnish the top with.
- Top with a balsamic vinaigrette.
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