Bord Bia is encouraging consumers to enjoy tasty strawberries as a snack or in a delicious summer-fresh dish.
Locally grown strawberries are naturally sweet which makes them the ideal healthy alternative snack for all ages.
Just seven strawberries (80g ) comprise one of your five a day and contain as little as 20 calories which packed with fibre.
Strawberries are versatile and can be enjoyed in many different ways — as a healthy breakfast topping with oats or yoghurt, chopped up in a salad for lunch, in school lunchboxes or in place of sugary alternatives for a healthy dessert.
Here is a sample strawberry centric recipe to enhance you summer day. This salad works equally as well with buffalo mozzarella, feta or blue cheese.
Strawberry and spinach salad with balsamic poppyseed dressing
Serves four to six people and cooks in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For the croutons:
120g leftover bread or crusts, cut into 1cm cubes
Two tablesp rapeseed or olive oil
Two teasp dried basil
Salt and black pepper
For the dressing
Four tablesp balsamic vinegar
Three tablesp rapeseed or olive oil
1½ tablesp poppy seeds
1½ tablesp honey
½ teasp Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper
For the salad
300g fresh spinach
400g strawberries, washed, de-stemmed and quartered
Four scallions, thinly sliced
100g goat’s cheese, crumbled (optional )
Method
For the croutons, preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5, 190°C (375°F ). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. In a large bowl, drizzle the olive oil over the pieces of bread, then evenly sprinkle with the basil and some salt and pepper. Toss gently until well combined, then spread the bread out in a single layer on the prepared baking tray.
Bake for around 15 minutes until golden, turning once halfway through cooking in order to brown all sides of the croutons. Check them often to be sure that they do not burn. Allow to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well combined. Alternatively, shake them together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Season to taste.
Place the spinach in a large serving bowl. Add the strawberries and scallions. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves.
Top with the croutons and goat’s cheese, if desired. Serve immediately, with the remaining dressing in a jug on the side.
