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Strawberry Spinach Salad is light, refreshing and perfect with grilled chicken. A quick strawberry vinaigrette doubles as dressing and marinade!

Hey, guys!! It is summer and it is hot!! That means I am not interested in doing a lot of cooking that heats up my kitchen. So I do a lot of grilling and salads. Salads sound pretty good for you, huh? Did you know that sometimes salads can be just as indulgent as a cheeseburger? Some places load on the bacon and croutons, and before you know it – bam, that delicious salad isn’t as light as you thought. I have a recipe that switches out three ingredients for lighter choices that are more delicious in my opinion. This Strawberry Spinach Salad is so refreshing, light and full of flavor. It is my favorite!!

Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health.​ I love it because it has a neutral taste that lets all the natural flavor of my recipes really shine. It is also my go to because Mazola Corn Oil has more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than other cooking oils – four times more than extra virgin olive oil and one and a half times more than canola oil. Clinical studies indicate that when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, plant sterols can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut. I love that I can use it to make any of favorite recipes a little better for me. Mazola Corn Oil helps me reduce saturated fats and cholesterol in my meals easily with simple swaps like substituting butter and heavier oils with Mazola Corn Oil.

This salad is a perfect example of how to make a few swaps in a recipe and make it better for you. Most dressings contain oil and sugar. The strawberry vinaigrette for this salad I swapped out the sugar and used honey and corn oil instead of other saturated oils. I use this same vinaigrette to marinate the chicken.

I am also swapping out and using grilled chicken instead of a breaded chicken because it is a great swap to make a salad lighter. Grilled chicken also has much more flavor, in my opinion, so why miss out on adding that flavor to your salad? Now this salad calls for spinach, of course, which in my mind, is also a better swap than iceberg lettuce. Spinach has a little more to offer in the nutritional department.

Some salads can pack on croutons, which add a crunch every salad needs, but I like to add toasted pecans to this delicious salad. They add all the crunch you need and are a better choice than croutons. These simple swaps result in an amazing salad that is full of flavor. It’s one of my favorite salads ever, especially in the summer! The naturally sweet strawberries, the tangy light dressing, the grilled chicken, the crunchy pecans and just a sprinkle of cheese make a combo that is fabulous!

Strawberry Spinach Salad

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Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
• 4 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp Mazola Corn Oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• rinsed baby spinach
• 1 cup cubed Monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup toasted pecans
• 1/2 pound sliced strawberries
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breastI

Instructions

Dressing

1. Wash and hull 1/2 pound berries.
2. Blend berries, garlic, honey, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in blender.
3. Blend until combined.

Salad

1. Marinate chicken in half the dressing for 4 hours.
2. Grill chicken until cooked through. Rest and slice.
3. Toast pecans lightly and cool.
4. Top spinach with sliced strawberries, cheese and pecans.
5. Top salad with chicken.
6. Drizzle with dressing.

So this summer swap out some of your heavier ingredients for lighter ones including this delicious Mazola Corn Oil! *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses include baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing.