Caramelized Almond & Strawberry Salad

I'm back! My trip was great, it is always nice to get out of the usual daily routine and try something different for a few weeks. That being said I felt so at home that coming back has been pretty difficult.

Here are a couple of pictures from my trip.

 Beautiful waterfall while hiking in the Golan.

 The Kotel/Western Wall, Jerusalem.

 Laying by the beach at the Kinneret/Sea of Galilee.

To make things easier on myself, I decided to throw myself into a cooking project. Since being in Israel, I am finding myself always craving salad. Fresh and really good produce is always available there, and it is almost all locally grown.

The prices reflect the transportation costs, so it is much cheaper to buy fresh fruits and vegetables there. This also means that when eating out at restaurants, a salad doesn't consist of iceberg lettuce and two slices of tomato, like it does here.

This salad recipe was inspired by a salad a friend of mine made in Israel. I have changed it a little and made it my own, but it is a wonderful base idea. The tangy-ness of the dressing mixed with the sweet  strawberries and caramelized almonds on a backdrop of bitter and savoury greens gives this salad a well rounded flavour.

Adding grilled chicken or tofu is a great way to make this salad into more of a meal then a side dish.

Here is my recipe for Caramelized Almond & Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup roasted almonds
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 bag of washed mixed baby greens/baby spinach/any combination of lettuces
1 package of fresh strawberries(approximately 12-15) washed and sliced

Salad Dressing Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add balsamic vinegar and let reduce for 1-2 minutes.

When the mixture is simmering, add brown sugar and let melt for 2 minutes, stirring gently to ensure that all the sugar is combined evenly.

Once mixture is bubbling, add the almonds, making sure to turn them around in the caramel so that each side is coated well. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Prepare a sheet of parchement paper and pour almond mixture over top, making sure that the almonds are not touching each other. You can also seperate them a little with a spoon, but it must be done before they cool. Set aside and let cool for at least 20 minutes.

In a jar, add all the salad dressing ingredients and shake well to combine. It should be quite vinegar-y, but that is ok, since the almonds will be very sweet.

In a large salad bowl combine the lettuce/greens and sliced strawberries.

Pour dressing over top, and finally add the caramelized almonds.

Toss salad and serve immediately.

Enjoy!