A fresh fruit alterative to everyday salad.
This recipe is AMAZING with alterations! My two and three year old loved it - as did my husband - I scaled the recipe down to 6 servings instead of 12. Recommended Alterations: Reverse the measurements for oil and balsamic vinegar and cut back on the sugar a bit (be sure to use olive oil and a good quality balsamic vinegar). ADD 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (pairs well with the greens and fruit). Use RED onion, it's a better tasting onion when raw. Although I halved the recipe I still used 1/2 pound strawberries and 1 mango - so if you make the full batch I would recommend at least 1 pound strawberries and 2 mangoes. I plan to make this often for the summer and bring to potlucks too! Absolutely delicious!
Read MoreThis recipe is AMAZING with alterations! My two and three year old loved it - as did my husband - I scaled the recipe down to 6 servings instead of 12. Recommended Alterations: Reverse the measurements for oil and balsamic vinegar and cut back on the sugar a bit (be sure to use olive oil and a good quality balsamic vinegar). ADD 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (pairs well with the greens and fruit). Use RED onion, it's a better tasting onion when raw. Although I halved the recipe I still used 1/2 pound strawberries and 1 mango - so if you make the full batch I would recommend at least 1 pound strawberries and 2 mangoes. I plan to make this often for the summer and bring to potlucks too! Absolutely delicious!
I thought I had made this recipe as written for the most part, but now that I look at it again, I realize that I forgot the cranberries. Whoops! It is still 5 stars. I toasted the almonds which brought out an awesome flavor. I used about 3/4 of a pound of strawberries instead of just 1/2 a pound. I used two bags of salad (greener selection & romaine). Next time I would decrease the oil, and increase the balsamic vinegar. This was a huge hit. It might be good with a little bit of chopped cilantro or basil?
This salad was excellent. I really didn't change a thing except that I used splenda instead of real sugar. Delicious.
Absolutely delicious! I used EVOO instead of canola and cut it back to 1/2 cup to make it more healthy. I also used Splenda. It was excellent and a wonderful complement to our beef tenderloin and mushroom dinner. The colors are gorgeous on the plate!
A *great* salad! I've served it a few times already, and it's gotten rave reviews. One time I couldn't get my hands on a mango, so I used an apple instead, to good effect. For a simpler dressing, try just straight balsamic vinagrette.
This was a very good salad. I love the fresh fruit; makes it feel like summer! I used cashews instead of almonds because that's what I had. We also just used bottled balsamic vinegrette dressing. Easy and delicious!
This was very good and I will definitely make it again. I too used bottled balsamic viniagrette, used a Vidalia onion, and toasted my slivered almonds. Can't wait to share with all the girls!\
I have been making this salad for a few months and it is always a HUGE hit. Last night, I made it with Whey-Low (a sugar substitute) and it tasted exactly the same as using sugar. I like to add any kind of seeds, including flax seed to it, for texture, in addition to the almonds. Add the dressing right before serving as it gets soggy if it sits to long. Regardless, there is never any salad left, soggy or not!
Really good! Added an avocado, and toasted pinenuts instead of almonds. Also doubled the balsamic. Will make all summer!
It's amazing that so few basic ingredients can come together to create such a delightful taste and texture experience. The only changes I made: I doubled the mango and strawberries and halved the cranberries, and I sliced the sweet onion thinly on a mandoline rather than chopping it. The only change I made to the dressing was to use olive oil instead of canola. The dressing came out wonderfully thick with a great sweet/tangy taste. I will use a little less sugar next time, but it was delicious as is. Thanks!
Loved it...based on other reviews and trying other vinegarettes, I cut the sugar in this to 1/4 cup and it was PLENTY. The flavor was great...thanks!
What a fabulous thing to bring to a cookout. I was a little apprehensive (never having made it previously), but it turned out absolutely fabulous. The mix of sweet, salty, and tang from the onion really complimented each other. Everyone wanted the recipe.
I served this at a large family party. Everyone loved it. People actually went back for seconds. This is now the salad I make any time I have company. And it always goes.
I first had this salad at the Buckeye Bash 2012 prepared by Saveur631. It was fantastic! I have since made it on 3 occasions. It not only tastes wonderful, but the presentation is beautiful with the colors of strawberries, mango, cranberries, greens. If you are looking for a delicious summer salad, look no further than this recipe.
AWESOME SALAD! My kids and guests love this salad. It is always gone before the meal is over! I half the amount of dressing and use only 3tbsp. of olive oil instead of canola oil. I refrigerate the dressing for a couple of hours for the flavors to blend and to thicken it up. (I find once it is thicker I end up using less dressing and the dressing sticks to the lettuce better.) Instead of the chopped onion, I usually add a thinly sliced red onion or scallions to the salad.
This salad is absolutely fabulous, I brought it to work for a "food day" and everyone loved it. I too substituted olive oil for the canola oil and added extra balsamic vinegar to the dressing for more zing. I also used Almond Accents Butter Toffer Glazed Almonds and sprinkled Feta cheese on top for extra zip. Fantastic! Definitely a redo!
This is the best salad I've had in a long time. The dressing is especially delicious and goes a long way. I ended up with most of the dressing left over which was fine with me. The only change I made was to omit the almonds and add candied walnuts instead.
My family fell in love with this recipe. I had also taken it to work for a pot luck get together. Everyone loved it.
Very fresh, crisp flavor. we really enjoyed this salad and have made it again. I also have used the salad dressing on other green salads and really has a wonderful addition to regular dressing that we use everyday. Comes together in minutes.
The salad dressing is out of this world!!! I had a strawberry allergy to work with, so instead of strawberries, I made the salad with mangos and peaches. I used jarred fruit to save time and it was still fabulous! VERY sweet, much more of a summer salad.
This was a great salad. The first time we made it we made it according to the recipe adding some extra strawberries and going heavy on the balsamic vinegar. We also added an avocado. The second time we forgot the cranberries but there wasn't really a noticeable difference. In the future I think I'll continue to nix the cranberries and add avocado.
What a yummy salad with a beautiful presentation you have here! I made this for the 2012 Buckeye luncheon, and received many compliments. I used less onion, just sliced red onion paper thin, and made toasted sugared almonds. The dressing is excellent! A great pot luck salad, for sure. I'll make this many more times. Thanks for sharing with us.
I use 1/4 cup oil and 3/4 cup balsamic to meake it healthier, keep the sugar and salt. I also use 3/4 lb of strawberries and omit craberries, I don't think they are needed. This is great for a picnic! 16oz mixed greens from Costco is perfect size.
I've made this a couple of times when having company for dinner. It looks, and tastes, great. (Someone in an earlier review suggested substituting pinenuts, which I tried the 2nd time and prefer.)
Fabulous! I've made this twice, both times recipe was requested by all. The only change I made was using mandarin oranges instead of a Mango. Oh, and I left out the onions.
Nice, light salad. The dressing was a little thick for our taste. A strawberry or raspberry vinaigrette will also work. Great combination of ingredients.
This salad was a nice change from the everyday chopped we are used to. I loved all of the flavors. I substituted splenda for the sugar and I used maybe a 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. I will definitely make this again and for others.
Good. Used a bottled balsamic vinaigrette. Used red onion but next time will try to get sweet/vidalia instead. Served it with black beans and rice.
wonderful salad that is incredibly versatile; we've had to substitute cranberries with rasins, and sunflower seeds instead of almonds and we still had a wonderful tasting salad. The recipe, also as written is delicious. Making it again this weekend for my father's birthday.
This was amazing! I made it at work and so many ladies asked for the recipe to make this one for Easter. The store was out of strawberries so I skipped them, but it was still delish!
Yummy! I had to do some substitutions for my taste and what I had on hand. I used a mix of spinach and fresh green leaf letuce from the farmer's market. Didn't have cranberries so I subbed dried gogi berries and only about half what was called for. I added about 3/4 C gorgonzola crumbles. Also used a good strong olive oil instead of canola and cut way down on the sugar using about 1-2Tbs. It was plenty sweet with the balsamic vinegar--actually really yummy dressing I'll make again for any salad with fruit in it. Oh yeah- toast the almonds for a nicer flavor. This was a delicious and beautiful salad. I couldn't stop eating it. In fact, I skipped my main course because I was enjoying this salad so much!
Very sweet and yummy with the fresh fruit. We used a bag of mixed greens and ommitted the onion. It was great and we will make this again.
What a great summer recipe! I served it with Rosemary Chicken Couscous Salad from this site. I used Splenda and less olive oil to make it lighter, and I left out the onion although a sweet one might have been nice (didn't miss it though). This salad would be great with grilled chicken, and I think it might work with some fresh mint...and a nice mojito!
This was a very tasty dressing and salad. I only used about 1 1/2 T of sugar and equal parts balsamic and olive oil. I didn't have strawberries so I used 2 mangos and 2 handfuls of blueberries and 2 handfuls of Craisins. About 1/2 c of sliced almonds did the trick.
I made this salad for a girls-night dinner and it was fantastic! To keep calories even lower, I used Splenda instead of sugar. I made this salad to accompany the Caribbean Shrimp and Pasta recipe also on this website and it was quite a hit!
Awesome salad. I didn't change a thing, except I only had romaine for greens, so I used that.
Fabulous summer salad! I use bottled dressing, and it is always a hit. One of my very favorite salads.
Great recipe! I added avacado and used EVOO instead of canola oil. Light and refreshing!
Really delicious, I added Feta as well. Don't need the greens great without also great side with chicken.
Made this with a combo of romaine and dandelion greens, red onion, and omitted sugar since not necessary with all the sweet fruit. Added sunflower seeds, feta, bacon, and cilantro, black beans and quinoa to make it a full meal. Delicious!
I was in a hurry to get out of here after lunch, so I forgot to add both the dried cranberries and the almonds...had both on hand, too. It was wonderful without them, but would have been even better with them. I did use white balsamic vinegar for a little milder-flavor dressing, and probably did cut back just a bit on the sugar. I’ve always liked the combination of strawberries and fresh mango in a smoothie, and they partner equally well in this salad. Thoroughly enjoyed!
I took the recommendations of other reviewers and used 50/50 balsamic to oil and I was very pleased with the results. I’ll make again.
I added fresh cilantro, which added a whole new flavor dimension to this salad! My guests loved it. You don't need a whole lot of dressing to make this salad delicious. Be sure to toast the almonds.
This is a fantastic recipe that I scaled down for 2 - 4 servings. I used spinach instead of salad greens. Mixing 2T strawberry balsamic vinegar and 2T canola oil plus a teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt in a jar, shaking well. I used all the other items in smaller amount...3/4 quart sliced strawberries, 1/2 cubed mango, one slice of red onion, quartered and separated, 1/2c dried cranberries and 3T sliced almonds. Pour the dressing on right before serving.
This salad is great! I made it for two and forgot to change the serving size. Had lots of dressing so had the salad several times. Anxious to make it again and add a sliced, grilled chicken breast and serve as a nice summer meal.
Made this salad form Mom for Mother's Day and it wa s huge hit. We couldn't stop eating it. Substituted Splenda for the sugar, otherwise, made exactly as published. One could easily leave out the mango or cranberries without detracting from recipe, but we love those things so will keep them in.
Amazing Amazing ..perfect summer salad! I Was wondering if the dressing would thicken and it did and it's perfect. I just had to be patient. It's my favorite now for sure!!!! Nice change from the ordinary common salad. Thank you! I cut this recipe to half as it's just me eating it and it's perfect still. ????
Awesome salad! I used EVOO instead of canola oil, did not use cranberries and substituted agave nectar for sugar. Really pretty, yummy salad!
Great recipe! I added avacado and used EVOO instead of canola oil. Light and refreshing!
This is a great summer salad. My family said excellent!!! I too substituted olive oil and used more balsamic vinegar. Everyone said "Make this again!"
Fabulous. Glad I read reviews first. I'm consolidating other reader's suggestions here, which I followed and got good results 1. Use equal parts EVOO and balsamic (half cup each) 2. Reduce sugar to 1/3 or 1/4 cup 3. Toast the almonds first I added kiwi because I had it and did not use dried cranberries. Avocado would be a good addition instead of the kiwi. Great flavor, and leftovers were great as a marinated fruit salad, after discarding the wilted lettuce. Will definitely make again!!
I made it in minutes and it was a winner in my family with kids and husband! the sugar ingredient was great with kids who are picky eaters but I would substitute sugar added for 1 tablespoon at the most or use honey instead. I also used raw kale instead of salad which was great because the juices from the fruit did not make it so soggy quickly. it actually lasted as a midnight snack that same evening. i also issued from onions instead of white and added cilantro be for fresh taste. it's definitely something I will continue to make, thank you!
Loved the ingredients, but I changed up the dressing as half a cup of sugar seemed like overkill. Instead, I used 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, and half a tsp of honey. Drizzled a tiny bit of dressing on top and without the greens, it almost tasted like a dessert salad!
FABULOUS. This was one of the best salads I have EVER had!!! I didnt have almonds so I substituted candied walnuts, and I also had a few dried apricots to use so I threw them in as well. It was easy and SO good, making it again tomorrow!!!
Great salad. I took it to a gathering and had rave reviews. I did add mixed dried berries. The dried cherries were my favorite in it.
Great recipe especially when local fresh strawberries are in season. Great outdoor salad to go with any other dish.
