If you’re a peanut butter lover, you’re gonna love this PB & J Salad with Berries. Yup, I said SALAD! Leave it to me to turn any meal into a scrumptious plant-based salad that satisfies your taste buds and hunger.
I love creating healthier versions of the comfort foods I grew up eating. This sweet and savory PB & J Salad with Berries is inspired by one of my childhood favorites, the quintessential Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich. Savory peanut dressing paired with sweet and fresh blueberries and strawberries make this a unique salad idea you will crave time and time again. You won’t find any artificial sweeteners here, just the natural sweetness of fresh and delicious whole food ingredients.
Low glycemic and high nutrition blueberries, strawberries, and dates provide antioxidants, vitamin c, and fiber. Chopped cashews, pistachios, and croutons add crunch. You could also use a variety of nuts (walnuts, macadamias, almonds, etc…). I intentionally didn’t use chopped peanuts in the salad itself because we will be creating a peanut dressing, and I wanted a variety of nut flavors to balance that.
The croutons mimic the sliced bread from a traditional PB&J Sandwich and they bring added texture to the mix. I used homemade croutons, but you can certainly use store bought ones.
Homemade peanut dressing adds a creamy combination of sweet and savory flavors. I added a little chili powder in mine for some spice to offset the sweetness. You could also use additional savory spices if you want to make the dressing even spicier.
Hope you enjoy this tasty twist that mimics the flavors of a PB & J Sammie!
PB & J SALAD RECIPE (serves 2-4)
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- 6-8 leaves romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 2 cups fresh strawberries (sliced)
- 1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 5 medjool dates (pitted & sliced) These organic dates are always plump and moist!
- 1/2 cup cashews (chopped)
- 1/2 cup pistachios (chopped)
- croutons to garnish
SAVORY PEANUT DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 – 1 1/4 tbsp peanut butter (depending on the thickness and sweetness of your peanut butter)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- water to dilute (as needed)
- mix all ingredients until slightly creamy
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