The Perfect Trio: Strawberry, Avocado and Goat Cheese

It’s strawberry season here in Florida, and while I didn’t make it down to the Florida Strawberry Festival, I have definitely taken advantage of the deals my local store is offering on those bright red Plant City gems.
Only problem is (and believe me, it’s a good problem to have), I’m the only one in my house who eats strawberries, so getting through them all before they start to turn can be a challenge. Sure, I can totally freeze them, and sometimes I do, but they’re fresh and right there and, well, I just want to eat them. All of them! (And why not, right? They’re really good for me!)
As much as I love that berry-riffic fragrance and eating them on their own (maybe with a little of this to top them off), I’ve learned they’re also pretty much my favorite salad topping ever. Especially when I also include the two best friends strawberries have ever had — avocado and goat cheese.
Throw in those three ingredients along with some mixed greens (maybe some baby kale, arugula, spinach and radicchio? Yeah, that.), add some carrots and maybe some cucumber, and then top it off with some pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds, and dude, you’ll never want to order any other salad ever again. If you want a boost of protein, hard-boiled eggs or chickpeas are tasty options (and ooh! I bet these would be AWESOME in there!) that’ll keep you full and satisfied, but honestly, even without those additions, whenever I have this salad for lunch I tend to stay pretty full until dinnertime. And right now, I’m having this salad a lot.
Oh, and if your berries are juicy and your avocado nice and ripe? Forget the dressing. Trust me. (If you need it, though, a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is truly all you’ll want.) And if you aren’t craving a salad, toss this in a wrap, spread it out on bread, or just toss the strawberries, avocado and goat cheese in a bowl on their own and enjoy!
Something about the creaminess of the avocado, the sweet, tart berries, and the salty, tangy goat cheese makes this a perfect meal to eat while waiting for spring to get sprung. Is your mouth watering yet?
Do you love these three ingredients together as much as I do? How else would you eat them? —Kristen