Strawberry Spinach Blueberry Avocado Salad with Sesame Poppy Seed Dressing

I'll be honest, I have never been a salad lover. I wasn't a raw veggie fan growing up and even when I was eating processed foods, conventional salad dressings never appealed to me. I always found salads boring.  However, I was just eating the wrong kinds of salads.

A few years ago, when I learned that raw fruits and vegetables are typically richer in nutrients than cooked ones, I was determined to get more salads into my life.  While trying to find salad combinations that appealed to my palate, I learned to get creative. The secret to a great salad, in my opinion, is to make it diverse in textures, flavors, and beautiful to the eyes.  

I love this Strawberry Spinach Blueberry Avocado Salad in the summer. All of its ingredients are in season and the ingredients are just popping with flavor and color. The dressing is light and zingy, a nice compliment to the fruit.   

I packed these salads for my husband and myself for work day lunches. We had stocked up at our local farmer's market the day before and all of the ingredients just happened to be sitting in my produce basket, just begging to be made into a summer salad.  

I highly reccomend serving the Sesame Poppy Seed Dressing on the side. Fruits' and vegetables' flavors vary in richness depending on time in the growing season and how early they were picked before they are concumed. The flavor of the fruits and vegetables will impact how much dressing you will want to add to it. 

Salad: 

3 handfuls of baby spinach

2 cups quartered fresh strawberries

1/2 fresh  blueberries

1 1/2 large avocados, pitted and diced

Combine in a large bowl and gently toss until all ingredients are well mixed. 

Dressing: 

1/3 olive oil

2 tablespoons coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey (whatever your preference is fine, but I encourage staying away from refined sugar)

2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspon Worcestershire sauce

Combine in a medium bowl and whisk together. Transfer to mason jar or another container for storage or serving.