Today’s recipe is a strawberry salad with toasted walnuts and goat cheese, perfect for early summer.

Ingredients:
Mixed greens
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1 ½ - 2 cups of toasted walnut halves
Crumbled goat cheese
6 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
Salt
Black pepper

Procedure:
Since there are so few ingredients in this salad, I think taking the time to toast the walnuts is a key step to making the flavors really pop!

To toast the walnuts, add about 1 tbs of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat, and add the walnuts. Toss or stir them until they are lightly browned, using salt to season them and then remove them from the pan to cool.

Next, use a blender or food processor to make the dressing. Add a generous cup of sliced strawberries, 5 tbs of olive oil, 3 tbs of balsamic vinegar and a little salt and black pepper to taste to the food processor. Puree everything until the dressing is nice and smooth.

Add as many mixed greens as you would like to a large mixing bowl, throwing in some sliced strawberries as well. Then cover the greens in the desired amount of dressing.

Divide the salad onto individual plates, topping each with crumbled goat cheese and some toasted walnuts.