This post was sponsored by Don Victor Raspberry Honey. All opinions expressed in my post are my own.
One of my absolute favorite foodie things about summertime is being able to incorporate fresh fruit into my recipes. Whether we are talking desserts, side dishes, sandwiches, main courses or salads, fruit is a welcome addition to any dish. In this Summer Salad with Raspberry Honey Vinaigrette, I have not only included fresh raspberries, but Raspberry Honey from Don Victor Foods to enhance the fruit flavor.
The beauty of salads is how versatile they are from the salad ingredients to the dressing itself. Many times, I will use leftover roasted or grilled veggies, adjusting the dressing to suit the seasonings or organic flavors of the foods themselves. Adding proteins, cheese, nuts, legumes and grains (bulgar wheat, quinoa) add even more texture and heartiness to the meal.
Summer Salad: Honey Vinaigrette
When it comes to the dressing, the sky’s the limit in what you can use. Some are very thick – think Green Goddess, or classic dressings like Caesar or French. I like using vinaigrettes particularly in warmer weather as it makes for a lighter taste. It’s important to have a balance of sweet and tart in a dressing like this to give dimension to the salad as a whole. Whether you are using citrus or vinegars for the acid in the dressing, you will want to add a sweetener.
I am partial to using honey as a natural ingredient. I find it blends so well with in the vinaigrette without leaving any kind of gritty taste. I recently learned about Raspberry Honey and loved the idea of amplifying the raspberry flavor in the salad from the fruit itself. It is a new all-natural twist on sweeteners. I also discovered something interesting in my research. Did you know honeycomb is edible?! Don Victor Foods offers a variety of honey products including:
- Honey with Lemon
- Honey with Strawberry
- Honey with Raspberry
- Honey with Blueberry
- Honey with Comb
The beauty of this delicious Summer Salad with Raspberry Honey is how versatile it is. Add your favorite nuts, cheese, fruits and vegetables as well as protein to make it a main course. Try using this vinaigrette as a marinade for seafood or chicken. Toss on the grill and enjoy the raspberry honey taste in a different flavor profile.
Enjoy this Summer Salad filled with fresh raspberries, toasted walnuts, grilled nectarine and tangy blue cheese and topped with the most fragrant Raspberry Honey Vinaigrette!
Save 25% off your order of Don Victor Honey with code: INSPIRINGKITCHEN
Summer Salad with Raspberry Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp Don Victor Raspberry Honey
- 1/8 cup Lime juice, fresh
- 1 tsp Lime zest
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Shallot, sliced
- 1/2 tsp Parsley, fresh, chopped
- 1/8-1/4 tsp Salt, to taste
- 1/8 tsp Pepper, to taste
Salad
- 1 bag Spinach, fresh
- 1 Nectarine, medium size
- 1 6-8 ounce container Raspberries, fresh
- 1/2 cup Walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup Blue Cheese
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- Whisk together lime juice, lime zest, raspberry honey, shallot, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add one or two raspberries for added flavor
Salad
- Toast walnuts in a pan on low heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Remove from pan and let cool while you complete salad.
- Wash and dry spinach leaves. Add to large serving bowl.
- Gently wash raspberries in colander and let dry.
- Slice nectarine in half. Remove stone. Lightly drizzle olive oil onto cut side of fruit. Grill for approximately 5 minutes on cast iron grill pan. Let pan get hot before adding fruit. For grill cross marks, after a few minutes, turn the fruit so you have lines going both ways from the grill pan. Slice or dice fruit for salad with your preferred size.
- Pour some of the dressing over the spinach leaves until lightly coated. Add walnuts, nectarine and any remaining shallots and gently toss salad. Add raspberries last as they are fragile. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make dressing in the serving bowl. This recipe makes enough dressing for a couple salads so cut in half if doing it this way or you will have too much vinaigrette for the amount of lettuce.
- Pour ingredients into a jar that has a lid so you can shake it to combine. This is my favorite way of doing it since it will incorporate the raspberry into the dressing itself.
- Whisk the dressing in a separate bowl.
I love the sound of this vinaigrette! This is perfect for the summer, yum!
Packed full of amazing flavors! That vinaigrette is calling my name!
Hope you enjoy it! Thanks!
I love this vinaigrette. the mix of raspberries and honey is just yum!
It is such a good combination of tart and sweet. So glad you like it! Thank you!
a touch of honey is a great way to bring some delish flavor to a salad dressing. Great idea looking forward to trying it soon
This looks like such a refreshing meal for the summer! I especially love the vinaigrette – sounds delicious!
That’s what I love about the recipe too. It’s light and versatile to adapt to what you include in your salad itself. Thanks for the feedback. Enjoy!
This honey vinaigrette sounds absolutely amazing. I love a good summer salad!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!