This healthy salad is made with almonds, fresh berries, and a splash of tangy blueberry vinaigrette. It’s the perfect berry salad for a light lunch or side dish.

And this salad is all about the berries. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

I’ve mentioned before in my gorgonzola pear salad recipe that I haven’t always had the best idea of what a salad could be. It would conjure up images of sad greens with no toppings and flavorless dressing.

Not so here! With the perfect balance of sweet and savory, this salad will leave you feeling like you just had a big bowl of yummy goodness.

This salad was inspired by my wife’s love of the Nuts About Berries Salad at Cafe Zupas. However, I chose to make a blueberry vinaigrette instead of the poppyseed dressing that they pair with their berry salad. The dressing packs a nice punch of flavor, but it’s even a delicious berry salad without the blueberry vinegarette.

Hopefully, you enjoy this recipe as much as my wife and I do.

Making the Blueberry Vinaigrette

I typically start off by making the dressing. Then I can set it aside in the fridge and all it may need is a quick shake for it to be ready to serve when the rest of the salad is ready. Plus, it can give all those dressing ingredients a bit of time to mix flavors.

The best part about most salad dressings is the fact that you can usually just toss all the ingredients into a blender. You can also shake or whisk it together as well.

Vinegar and lemon juice add acidity to the dressing. The honey and blueberries lend both sweetness and flavor. Olive oil helps provide body and a base for the rest of the dressing. A bit of salt and pepper are good finishing touches.

In this case, I used red wine vinegar for the blueberry vinaigrette. The flavor of the red wine vinegar really brings out the best in the blueberries.

As I said above, I like to make my dressing a few hours before I plan to serve the salad but it’s totally up to you. It can be made right before serving as well.

Making the Berry Salad

This salad is just the kind of thing that you can make for a casual lunch or side salad. It’s light but still packed with healthy and filling ingredients. You can also make substitutions to use whatever ingredients you have on hand (more on that in the next section…). And it only takes about 10 minutes to fully put together.

Salads are all about fresh ingredients. So, it’s important to use the freshest ingredients possible when making this. The crisp, crunch, and flavor of fresh berries and greens are so delightful.

Making the salad itself is quite easy.

First, make sure to wash all of the salad greens and berries. Then add all of the salad greens to a large bowl. Cut the strawberries into slices. Now add all of the berries on top of the greens. Top it with almonds and cheese. Then toss everything together and drizzle the blueberry vinaigrette on top.

It comes together quickly and you really just need to add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Though you may want to reserve the dressing for diners to drizzle to their own liking.

What to Put In a Berry Salad?

First, I’d recommend trying out the recipe as listed below. This includes strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries as the fruit. For toppings, I include mozzarella cheese and candied sliced almonds. Then drizzle the blueberry vinaigrette on top.

But I am definitely in favor of mixing things up with a recipe and trying out different combinations. Plus, sometimes you don’t have everything on hand for a recipe and you need to make some substitutions. Here are some of my thoughts:

Nuts – I use some homemade cinnamon candied sliced almonds for this salad. Pecans and walnuts could be great subsitutions for the almonds. And you don’t necessarily need to use candied nuts, I just think it lends a nice crunch and sweetness to the berry salad. The real purpose of including nuts in the salad is for the texture and crunch.

Cheese – I use some thick-shredded mozzarella for its creamy texture. But changing up the cheese is probably one of the easiest ways to mix up the flavor of the salad. Try goat cheese or gorgonzola for a powerful tangy punch. Use feta for a salty, creamy addition.

Fruit – I obviously think that this salad should have some berries – it is a berry salad after all. But if you want to sub out one type of berry or even just add to it, there are options. Try crisp apples or pears, sweet grapes, or even sliced kiwi as an addition to the berries in this salad.

Dressing – The restaurant salad that this recipe was inspired by uses a poppyseed dressing. So you can give that a try. My wife might even prefer that as a dressing, because she really likes poppyseeds. Any other lightly sweetened vinaigrette should also work with this salad. Or try using strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries for the dressing instead of blueberries.

If you’re looking for something different this summer, try out this fresh berry salad with all of the summer berries. It’s so delicious and easy to make!

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this almond and berry salad! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Almond and Berry Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

15

minutes

This almond and berry salad is loaded with berries and paired with a delicious blueberry vinaigrette for a fresh, tangy, sweet flavor

Ingredients

• Blueberry Vinaigrette

• 1 cup blueberries

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

• Berry Salad

• 2 cups strawberries

• 8 cups baby red butter lettuce greens

• 1 cup blueberries

• 1 cup blackberries

• 1 cup raspberries

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 cup cinnamon candied sliced almonds

• 1 cup prepared blueberry vinaigrette

Directions

• Blueberry Vinaigrette
• Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a blender or food processor
• Pulse for 15 to 30 seconds until the dressing is fully combined
• Refrigerate the vinaigrette until ready to use
• Berry Salad
• Cut the strawberries into thin slices
• Add the greens to a large bowl and top them with the strawberry slices, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mozzarella, and candied almonds
• Toss the salad together
• Serve the salad and top each serving with the blueberry vinaigrette

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The post Almond and Berry Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette appeared first on Do You Roux?.

Can you go wrong with candying anything? Especially some tasty almonds. Add in a bit of cinnamon and vanilla and you can easily make these cinnamon candied sliced almonds.

If you like almonds, you will love this simple cinnamon candied sliced almonds recipe. This is super easy and delicious, and it’s great for topping salads or ice cream, and as a sweet snack. They are somewhat similar to my candied walnuts, though those end up a bit more on the caramelized side of sugar than the flavored crystals that form on the almonds here.

When you add these almonds to a sweet treat, it adds extra flavor and crunch to the recipe. Candied almonds are also a great addition to baked goods like bread, brownies, cookies, muffins, and cake. I made these almonds specifically to pair with my almond and berry salad.

For a sweet, savory snack, make your own delicious cinnamon candied sliced almonds. They’re easy to make, inexpensive, and taste great. Read on for more details and the final recipe.

Ingredients and Tools Needed

I love a simple recipe, and this one fits the bill.

And good news – you don’t need any super fancy equipment or tools to make candied almonds. No double boilers, candy thermometers, or candy molds.

All I used besides the measuring cups were a wide frying pan, a spatula, and some parchment paper. So, most kitchens should be equipped to make this recipe.

There are a few basic ingredients that need to be in place for this: sliced almonds, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a bit of water.

Making cinnamon candied sliced almonds is easy.

A sweet, cinnamon flavor pairs perfectly with the kind of toasted flavor that the almonds take on when cooking them with this process.

Candied Almonds Process

Essentially, we’ll be boiling the almonds in a flavored sugar syrup to get the candied sliced almonds.

Start the process by combining all of the ingredients except the almonds in a large frying pan. Make sure to stir everything together until well mixed before turning on the heat.

Then turn the heat up to medium and stir constantly. The sugar will begin to heat up and melt. And then the whole mixture will start simmering and bubbling up.

And that is the time to strike with the almonds.

Pour in the sliced almonds and stir to mix them in so that all the almonds get coated in some of the sugar mixture. Then keep on stirring as you let it cook. The sugar will start to kind of crystallize on the top sides of the pan first. Then on the almonds and the bottom of the pan.

The main trick is to pull them off the heat before either the sugar or the almonds start to burn. When the sugar mixture is no longer liquid, crystallizes on the almonds, and is fully coating the bottom of the pan, then it is time to remove them from the heat.

Spread them out on parchment paper and let them cool.

Storing Candied Sliced Almonds

Because this makes a decently large batch of candied sliced almonds, you will likely need to store some of the almonds.

They can easily be stored in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container. They should keep for a few weeks at room temperature in the pantry.

For longer storage, put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two months, or the freezer for up to 4 months. To prevent them from absorbing moisture while in colder storage, I recommend wrapping the almonds in plastic wrap before putting them in the airtight container.

The best part about these candied sliced almonds is that they can be used on so many different occasions—you can serve them as a sweet snack, or you could sprinkle them onto a salad, over ice cream, in oatmeal, and even as a topping for cake.

Try them on whatever could use a sweet, nutty crunch.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out these cinnamon candied sliced almonds! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Cinnamon Candied Sliced Almonds

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Condiment, ToppingDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Cooling Time

10

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

The crystallized cinnamon-vanilla sugar on these candied sliced almonds lends a perfectly flavored crunch that can top salads, ice cream, and more

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups almond slivers

Directions

• In a wide nonstick frying pan, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and mix well
• Place the pan on the stovetop, turn the heat up to medium, and bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring constantly
• When the sugar mixture begins bubbling, add in the sliced almonds and stir thoroughly so that all of them get coated
• Continue to cook and stir the mixture until the water evaporates and crystallizes onto the almonds – it will also crystallize on the sides and bottom of the pan
• When all of the moisture is gone, the sugar has all crystallized, and it begins to smell of toasted almonds, pour the almonds out onto a sheet of parchment paper, spread them out with a spatula, and let them cool for at least 10 minutes
• Use the candied almonds or store them in an airtight container

Notes

• You can grease the parchment paper with a bit of butter to help prevent sticking

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The post Simple Cinnamon Candied Sliced Almonds Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.