Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad

This classic summer salad is getting a makeover!  We’re ditching the oily dressing, the rich cheeses and candied nuts.  And you’re going to be absolutely amazed at how delicious this salad can be using only whole, plant-based foods!  I’m so excited to share this Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad recipe with you!

There’s nothing I love better than a quick-and-easy nutritarian recipe.  And it’s even better when there’s a quick-and-easy recipe video to go with it!  Take a moment to watch the video below, and let’s get pumped about making this happen in your kitchen:

Here’s the news with this Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad: it proves that high-nutrient un-processed living is not only good for your health–it’s absolutely delicious!

Un-Processing For Your Health

So, the cat is out of the bag, guys…

At the end of last month, two large European studies found that eating highly processed or “ultra-processed” food correlates to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death.  As many of you know, Dr. Fuhrman has been talking about this very issue for decades and he even wrote a recent book on the topic, Fast Food.

So it’s wonderful to see the rest of society finally catching up!

To learn more about these studies you can read “New evidence links ultra-processed foods with a range of health risks” by ScienceDaily or CNN’s “Ultraprocessed foods are easy, cheap and could be killing you”(–as a nutritarian, you’ve just gotta love that title!).

Now you may be wondering why I’m talking about ultra-processed foods when it comes to a salad.  And I get it.  A salad isn’t what you’d typically think of as “bad for you.”

And it’s certainly not.  Just the fact that you’d be getting some fiber and phytonutrients, you’d be faring far better that the average SAD (Standard American Diet) eater.

But Dr. Fuhrman’s nutritarian lifestyle has never been about being better than average–It’s about health excellence.

Here’s how we cleaned-up this summertime classic, adding more nutrients and ditching the health-derailers…

How Bad Can a Salad Actually Be For You?

The devil is in the details.

In a conventional Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad you’d likely find an oil-based dressing (often with added sugar), some kind of cheese and a roasted or candied nut (which means more needless oil and sugar).

In this Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad we’ve replaced the cheese and candied nuts with raw sunflower seeds for a healthy, intact fat.  And the balsamic dressing is sweetened with raisins (yup, you heard that right) and thickened with walnuts.

Walnuts are replacing the olive oil that’s normally used in balsamic dressing.  And it’s a major health-upgrade:

“Walnuts are an excellent source of polyphenos and the omega-3 fat alpha-linolenic acid ALA.”  Excerpted from Dr. Fuhrman’s 100 Best Foods for Health & Longevity

This Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad recipe follows Dr. Fuhrman’s tenet of minimally-processed foods.  It takes a good thing and makes it even better for you!  And this salad recipe is a crowd-pleaser enjoyed by nutritarians and non-nutritarians alike.

5 from 3 votes

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Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad

Enjoy a thoroughly cleaned-up version of this classic summer salad! Whole food plant based, vegan, nutritarian and oil- and refined-sugar-free--you'll be amazed at this simple and delicious salad!

Course Salad

Cuisine American, French

Keyword nutritarian, oil free, refined sugar free, salad, vegan, whole food plant based

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 128.92 kcal

Author Kristen Hong

Ingredients

• 5 asparagus spears
• 2 packed cups baby spinach (pre-washed)
• 4 strawberries
• 3 tbsp No-Oil Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing
• 2 tbsp diced red onion
• 1/2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds

Instructions

1. Trim the bottoms off the asparagus spears. You will want to very-lightly steam the spears. To do this, I like to rinse the spears in water and then cut each spear in half. Add the cut spears to a microwave-safe plate and cover with another micowave-safe dish. Microwave for 50 seconds on high. This leaves the asparagus a bright-green color and still crisp. Set aside.

2. Rinse and slice your strawberries and dice your red onion. Reserve.

3. Arrange your spinach in a bowl and top with the steamed asparagus and sliced strawberries. Drizzle with 3 to 4 tbsp. No-Oil Walnut Vinaigrette dressing and sprinkle the diced onions and sunflower seeds on top. Toss if desired. Serve immediately.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 128.92 Calories from Fat 55

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.09g9%

Saturated Fat 0.59g4%

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.63g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.31g

Cholesterol 0.38mg0%

Sodium 59.93mg3%

Potassium 674.74mg19%

Carbohydrates 16.17g5%

Fiber 4.79g20%

Sugar 8.67g10%

Protein 5.64g11%

Vitamin A 1836.74IU37%

Vitamin C 50.01mg61%

Calcium 103.53mg10%

Iron 3.9mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Get More Goodness

If you end up loving this Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad recipe and you’re curious about trying out this whole nutritarian lifestyle thing, then you’ll want to register for my weekly email chats.  Then you can grab my free get-started plan, The 7 Day Salad Cleanse, sent straight to your inbox!

You’ll get 7 more exclusive salad recipes (that you won’t find here on the site):

• DAY 1: Sweet Potato & Avocado Salad
• DAY 2: Fresco Salad
• DAY 3: Asian Sunset Salad
• DAY 4: Tu-No Salad
• DAY 5: Mango & Black Bean Salad
• Day 6: Fruity Kale Salad
• DAY 7: Asparagus & Berry Salad

Learn more and grab your free plan here!

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this Oil-Free Strawberry Spinach & Asparagus Salad!  Please leave a rating and comment below!