Summer Strawberry Salad

No I have not disappeared or given up.  My computer gave up on me though and it took a bit longer than anticipated to get it working again.  Sorry :(

I love Strawberry Spinach Salad. But of coarse some of the things I love most about it are the naughty parts of the salad.  So I have made it a little less naughty and still ohhh so good.

So there are three parts here, 1- salad, 2-honey roasted almonds and 3- the dressing.  Let's get started with the recipe shall we. (The dressing needs to chill an hour, so even though I am listing it last, I would start with it.)
Salad:
5oz Spinach washed and chopped
1/2 head Romain lettuce chopped and washed
1 quart fresh strawberries washed and sliced
1/4-1/2 red onion chopped into larger pieces
1/2 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 cup peas washed and snapped
(I am not a bacon person, but if you are I am sure a few slices of bacon crumbled in would be good too.)
Toss everything together.
Honey Roasted Almonds:
2 c whole raw almonds
3 T evaporated cane juice (You can get this at a health food store.  It is very similar to white sugar but lass processed making it less bad for you.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T honey
2 T water
2 t coconut oil (I love the hint of sweetness coconut oil brings and it is really pretty good for you too.)
Put your almonds on a baking sheet and put it in a cold oven.  Then turn your oven on to 350 and bake about 10-15 min (watch close you don't want them burnt.)  If you are making these as a snack leave them whole, if you are putting them in the salad, chop them up.
Mix your cane juice and salt in a bowl and set it to the side.
On the stove top mix your honey, water and oil.  Bring to boil over med heat.  Add almonds and stir until all the juice has been absorbed. (about 5 min) Take off heat and add your cane juice mix, stir until coated.
You really only need about 1/2 c of these to toss into the salad, but I am sure you can figure out what to do with the rest:)
Dressing:
2 T sesame seed
1 T poppy seed
1/3 c evaporated cane juice
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 T minced onion
Mix all ingredients in blender except the seeds.  Once things are well mixed add the seeds and "pulse" them a time or two to mix them in.  Chill 1 hr.
I like to serve the dressing on the side, that way each person can get exactly what you want.  If you like it heavy go for it, but I like it  a bit lighter.  If you are taking it to a picnic and you want it all mixed in, just add it slowly to be sure it doesn't get too heavy.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do, because I could eat it all the time:)