Are you looking for delicious ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet? Are you short on time but still want to put a healthy and satisfying meal on the table that your family will enjoy? Today I have for you easy and healthy, Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad with delicious homemade Poppy Seed Dressing.
Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad with homemade Poppy Seed Dressing is the perfect salad for you. Whether you serve this tasty, bright, and colorful salad as an entree or a side dish, it’s low in calories, packed with vitamins and nutrients, and a delicious light change of pace.
I’m embarrassed to admit that, as a rule, I don’t care for most cooked vegetables, particularly cooked leaves of any kind. This rules out cooked kale, spinach, turnip greens, and any other cooked greens for me. Yes, I know how healthy they are for you, and yes, I know how many servings I should have every day for optimum health. I do, however, love salads with all sorts of lettuce, kale, spinach, etc., and lots of different fruit and vegetable toppings. Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad is one of our favorites, and I’m sure your family will love it too!
You can have this tasty, low-carbohydrate salad on the table in 10 minutes flat and if you feel like you need something a little more substantial, you can always top it with cooked shrimp, chicken, or salmon. Oh, and did I mention it only has 277 calories per serving, tons of fiber and a whopping 24% of your daily Vitamin C requirement and 20% of your daily Vitamin A needs?
Looking for other delicious salad recipes your family will love? Check out my Easy Broccoli Slaw with Ramen Noodles, Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing, or Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad.
How to Make Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad Poppy Seed Dressing
To make Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad with homemade Poppy Seed Dressing, you will need baby spinach, feta cheese, Craisins or dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries, Granny Smith apples, and pecans.
You can use purchased Poppy Seed Dressing, but this recipe is so easy and tasty that I hope you give it a try. The dressing ingredients are honey, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.
As with most salads, if you don’t have an ingredient, feel free to substitute whatever you do have or what you like; there are almost no rules with it comes to making delicious and healthy salads.
And now for the easy part, making this yummy salad. There are only two steps after you have gathered your ingredients. First put the spinach, dried fruit, apples, feta, and pecans in a large bowl.
The second put all dressing ingredients in a small mason jar with a lid and shake well.
That’s it! When you are ready to eat, top the salad with some dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to rate it and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you! Also, please follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
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Spinach, Apple, and Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
- 2 Granny Smith apples medium, unpeeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted
Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
Instructions
- Place spinach, dried fruit, apples, feta and pecans in a large bowl
- Put all dressing ingredients in a small mason jar with a lid and shake well.
- Pour dressing over the salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.
I think the carb nutritional listing is obviously wrong – 173 carbs?
Good grief! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m not sure what happened originally, but I reran the nutritional analysis, and while the carb count still looks high, it is because the total carbohydrate count for dressing ingredients is divided by four which is the total number of servings for the salad. However, most likely there will be dressing left over which would reduce the total carb count. I hope that helps!
Sharon
This salad was simple and delicious. I only made a serving size for myself but like you said, I can keep making it with the extra dressing!
It was delicious.
This looks so delicious and healthy!! Will try soon. Thanks for another great recipe.
Thanks so much Mary! I hope you enjoy it!
Your pizza with artichokes made with a can of crust was the best pizza I’ve had in years and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for letting me know Linda! I’m so glad you liked it!