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Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad is going to make your summer bright and sweet. With red, juicy strawberries, crisp butter lettuce, crunchy pecans, and a homemade poppy seed dressing, you'll want to make it a whole meal.

I hope we've all given up on the idea of perfection by now. Witchcraft teaches us to see the light and the shadow, to embrace and learn from our failures, and to trust that there are no mistakes. If everything is connected through the principle of cause and effect, that means even our screw ups could lead us to where we're meant to be.

So when I tell you that I made a bit of a mistake with the photos for this recipe, you'll forgive me. The funny thing is, I didn't even realize until a week later that I'd actually left the feta cheese off this salad, and when it did occur to me, I was doing something completely unrelated. Isn't it crazy how the brain works like that? I was just in the shower and remembered seeing a block of feta in the cheese basket in the fridge. A light bulb went off in my brain, and I realized I had totally screwed up. But the photos were so beautiful, I just had to embrace the error and give you what I had already created. I'm trusting it was meant to be.

What makes Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad so awesome?

So what you see is the vegan version, I guess. But if cheese is your thing, you should 100% add some super salty feta to this already awesome salad. We start with a bed of your favorite crunchy lettuce. I like Romaine or butter lettuce. Then we're adding in crunchy pecans, and fat, juicy, jewel-red strawberries for a pop of summer sweetness. Then the whole thing gets drizzled with a tangy poppy seed dressing, adding yet another layer of texture. Every forkful is awesome.

If you're a fancy person who has garden parties, this would be a gorgeous little starter. Garden parties are only something I've ever seen on television, though. We're more likely to eat this for dinner in the summer when it's too hot to turn on the oven. Add a loaf of crusty bread and salted butter, and that's really all you need. I'd probably also pour myself a glass of very cold Riesling, but that's just me.

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad in a gray bowl

Magical Properties of Pecans

You can find the magical properties of strawberries, lettuce, and poppy seeds already on the Kitchen Magick page, so I thought this was a great time to look into the magical properties of pecans. Turns out this little nut can be used in a spell to help you keep your job if you're worried you're about to be fired.

You need to shell and eat the nuts in a place where you feel content and relaxed. It's best to do this at work, but if work is too stressful, you could also do it at home. As you eat the nuts, visualize yourself happy and secure in your job. See yourself receiving and cashing your paycheck, or visualize the money arriving in your bank account. Save some of the shells, and hide them in a discreet place at work. Theoretically, that pink slip will never find you. (Source: Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes)

Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with fresh strawberries

Tips for making Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

Making salad is never complicated, but this one is particularly simple. To make the dressing, all you need to do is combine a few simple ingredients. You can either do this in a bowl and whisk them together, or add everything to a jar, tighten the lid, and give it a good shake. Store any excess in the fridge in this jar, and just shake it up when you're ready to use it again.

This is just a bed of chopped lettuce topped with pecans and strawberries. If you're feeling extra, you can toast your pecans in a dry skillet for a few minutes before chopping them. Chop your strawberries into bite size pieces, whatever that means to you. And yes, if you want, you should totally add crumbled feta to this salad. But don't overthink it. Don't measure. Just grab handfuls of things and add them in until your salad looks perfect for you.

We're flexible human beings who can learn from our mistakes. But it's basically impossible to mess up this Strawbery Poppy Seed Salad. It's that awesome.

Looking for more awesome salad recipes? Try this Fiery Halloumi Salad or a simple Chef's Salad.

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

Print Recipe

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Author: Renee Rendall
Prep Time: 10
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Mixed
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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For the dressing:

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ small shallot, finely chopped or grated
1-½ teaspoons poppy seeds
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
¼ cup olive oil

For the salad:

1 head Romaine or two small heads butter lettuce, chopped or torn
About 6-8 strawberries, chopped
¼ cups pecans, chopped
¼ cup crumbled Feta cheese, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Instructions

For the dressing:

If you're making this in a bowl, add the vinegar and sugar and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Then add the shallot, poppy seeds, salt, and ground mustard and whisk to combine.
Add the mayonnaise and slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you're whisking. Keep whisking until the oil is fully incoporated.
If you're making this in a jar, just add everything in, clamp the lid on tightly, then shake vigorously until your dressing is fully combined.

For the salad:

Arrange your chopped lettuce onto two plates, then top with strawberries and chopped pecans. Add your Feta cheese if using it, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with poppy seed dressing. Dig in.