Spinach and Feta Salad is a vibrant and colorful salad made with fresh spinach, tart apples, salty feta cheese, and toasted walnuts dressed in tamarind vinaigrette. I adapted this Caribbean salad by adding fresh figs and watercress. It is a versatile salad that can be varied per your taste and availability of ingredients.
Ingredients in the Spinach and Feta Salad:
Salad:
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is the main ingredient for this salad; feel free to swap spinach for baby kale.
- Feta: Feta pairs well with spinach, but you could substitute with other soft cheese varieties such as blue or gorgonzola.
- Watercress: I like adding watercress for its peppery flavor that makes the salad bright and fresh.
- Apples: I used the Golden Delicious apple for both its color and tartness. You could swap for Granny Smith or any other variety that is available.
- Walnuts: I toasted the brown walnuts for a nutty flavor and crunch. You could substitute with other nuts such as pecans, Brazil nuts or macadamia.
- Frisée lettuce: I used the curled endive here in the Spinach and Feta Salad for its texture. Omit this if you cannot find it.
- Fresh figs: Figs were not a deliberate choice. My neighbor gave me bags of fresh figs from his mature tree. This salad was one of the ways in which I tried using them up, and I am glad I did.
- Watermelon seeds: I wanted the salad to be complete with seeds, and I felt that the addition of watermelon seeds gave it the flavor and color that I was going for.
Dressing:
- Tamarind: As far as vinaigrettes go, the choices and combinations are many. I elected to make the dressing with tamarind for its sweet and sourness. I did add a few drops lime juice to so that the dressing would pop and render a sharper taste.
- Honey: What better natural sweetener than honey! A tad bit of sweetening for a salad rounds off the taste.
- Ginger: I used ginger and not garlic as the perfect match for tamarind.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil accentuates and never detracts from the main flavor profile of any dish.
Some of the benefits of ingredients:
- Spinach: Nutrient-dense with vitamin E and magnesium, boosts immunity
- Watercress: Powerhouse green leafy vegetable with vitamin K, high in antioxidants
- Feta: Fermented food containing probiotics and more calcium than most other cheese varieties
- Walnuts: Contains heart-healthy fats, lowers LDL, high in antioxidants
- Apples: Rich in fiber, lowers risk of diabetes, promotes weight loss
- Tamarind: Contains antimicrobial benefits, protests the liver
- Honey: Improves heart health, high in antioxidants
- Figs: Improves bone density, high in calcium and potassium
How to make the Spinach and Feta Salad:
- How to make the tamarind dressing:
- Whisk all the ingredients for the tamarind dressing and set aside.
2. How to make the Spinach and Feta Salad:
- Wash and drain the spinach and watercress. Slice the apple and figs. Toast the walnuts.
- Toss the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and drizzle the dressing right before serving and mix lightly. Garnish with frisee lettuce and edible flowers on top.
Variations:
- My husband likes it with some leftover shredded chicken on top of the Spinach and Feta Salad.
- My daughter has enjoyed it when I added baked tofu cubes.
- Other fruits such as peaches or nectarines were good, but I tried to stick to the way it was served in the Caribbean, which was with apples. My son absolutely loves the salad with crunchy apples.
Tips:
1. Toasted walnuts must be cooled before storing in an airtight container.
2. Spinach must be washed at home, even if the box of spinach were triple washed.
3. The tamarind dressing can be made even a week ahead of time and refrigerated in a box.
4. Slice the apples right before serving.
Suggestions for serving the Spinach and Feta Salad:
- Serve the Spinach and Feta Salad as a separate course
- Pairs well with Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- As a side salad with Ground Lamb Burgers
Spinach and Feta Salad
Spinach and Feta Salad is a vibrant and colorful salad made with fresh spinach, tart apples, salty feta cheese, and toasted walnuts dresses in tamarind vinaigrette. I adapted this Caribbean salad by adding fresh figs and watercress. It is a versatile salad that can be varied per your taste and availability of ingredients.
Equipment
- By hand
Ingredients
For the Spinach and Feta Salad:
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1½ cup watercress
- 2 fresh figs sliced
- 1 cup frisée lettuce cored
- 1 Golden Delicious apple cored, sliced
- 3 ozs feta cheese
- ¼ cup walnuts toasted
- ¼ cup watermelon seeds for garnish
- a few edible flowers rose, marigold, pansy
For the Tamarind dressing:
- 3½ tbsp tamarind pulp
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1¼ tbsp honey
- ½ tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp pink salt
- ¾ tsp pepper powder
- ½ tsp ginger minced fine
Instructions
How to make the tamarind dressing:
- Whisk all the ingredients for the tamarind dressing and set aside.
How to make the Spinach and Feta Salad:
- Wash and drain the spinach and watercress. Slice the apple and figs. Toast the walnuts.
- Toss the ingredients for the salad in a bowl and drizzle the dressing right before serving and mix lightly. Garnish with frisée lettuce and edible flowers on top.
Notes
- I made fresh tamarind pulp by soaking a pinch pinch of wet tamarind in 4.5 tablespoons of water for 5 minutes. I strained the pulp and used it for a fresh taste.
2. Spinach and watercress must be fresh and crisp.Nutrition
Calories: 174kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 363mgPotassium: 221mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 844IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 1mg
How refreshing!!!