Spinach Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette or Dressing! A crunchy healthy, colorful salad with spinach, arugula, carrots, tomatoes and a tangy vinaigrette that needs some fresh cilantro and just 5 minutes to make! I love, love, love salads and my favorite dressing to go with it is tangy vinaigrette any time! You must try this spinach and apple salad with honey vinaigrette or even some healthy Marinated Mushrooms salad! These are two of my all-time favorite salads! Vinaigrette is just a mix of oil and vinegar with some spices and seasonings, used to drizzle over salads and sometimes used as marinations. Hmm, come to think of it, I have always used them as a dressing in submarine sandwiches too!
My first taste of vinaigrette dressing was from a bottle (store bought) and sometimes I used to use those dry spice dressing packets to make my own. Those were the days! But now, homemade is always the way to go! If you have lots of cilantro, this is the dressing you must try. I had some fresh cilantro I needed to use before they go stale, so inspired by one of my favorite bloggers “PinchofYum”, cilantro dressing was going to be my go-to fresh herb for today’s salad. Just blitz lots of cilantro with oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. For the Indian in me, I tossed in some fresh green chillies/jalapenos for a slight kick of heat. You can use black pepper or even some crushed red pepper if you like.
To give it a fresh dash of fresh citrussy flavor (if there is a word like “citrussy”), I added a spritz of lime juice and the most gorgeous looking dressing was ready in less than 5 minutes! Now, in the words of one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten, “how easy was that?”
For the salad, let your mood and your fridge decide what you want in it. I chose some fresh spinach and arugula leaves with carrots, cucumber and tomatoes for crunch and color! Make sure to roughly tear the salad leaves with your hands and not chop them; healthier for you… some salad leaves science!
Toss both and top with peanuts, croutons, dates etc. for more fun in every bite!
This was one of the best salads enjoyed by my husband and me! We loved the fresh twist to a boring plain vinaigrette and felt good about all the fresh herbs in them.
Now, off we go to jump on to the healthy bandwagon:
Make it today or Pin for later on:
For the salad: 2 cups chopped spinach 1 cup chopped aragula 1 large tomato, cubed 1 carrot, peeled and julienned 3 red radishes, sliced ½ cucumber, sliced into quarters 4 to 5 dates, chopped ½ red onion, sliced Few cilantro leaves For the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette: 2 cups cilantro, roughly chopped ½ cup oil (any salad oil) 1 tbsp white vinegar 1 tbsp lime juice 2 green chillies 1 ½ tsp salt 1 to 2 tbsp water (optional)
Instructions Notes Next time, I am going to toss in some cooked beans (black, garbanzo/chickpea, kidney) and maybe some tofu or paneer cubes! You can use the same dressing to drizzle over any salad, snacks, or use in sandwich fillings. Store leftovers in a glass container in fridge; shake well again before using.
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