Happy Monday! I mean Tuesday… what day is it? (Just kidding). I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend.

We headed out backpacking for the weekend – what a joy to (literally!) unplug and get away from it all. Even though I love my normal life so much, there’s just something about being out of cell phone service. I played tons of cards (have I mentioned I am a little competitive when it comes to games? haha). I read a book that’s been on my nightstand for weeks (sorry, Multnomah County Library…). I enjoyed unwinding so much.

On our way back into town, we had some delish pizza at Double Mountain in Portland – I’m happy to say that I felt like the pizza was just as good as the OG location in Hood River.

After getting home, there was quite a bit of work to be done in terms of getting everything cleaned up, put away, and our kitchen put back together. Of course I started by taking a shower and then falling asleep on the bed. Dave took care of all our gear, so when I woke up from my nap, I took charge of dinner… I don’t really feel like it was an even division of labor – he is too good to me! So I wanted to make something special to celebrate being home in the home we love.

This salmon salad was so easy to make – all of the stuff that is cooked just goes on a sheet pan all together for just 20 minutes. And it’s the perfect way to enjoy all my favorite spring/early summer produce – I especially love the dressing. I am the type who will often stick to the same kind of easy olive and lemon juice combo on salads, so I wanted to change things up for this evening. And, as a bonus, it’s already gluten free, and with the omission of the honey, it’s low carb/whole 30/paleo as well!

Roasted Salmon Salad with Easy Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 8 oz. salmon filet
• 1/2 lb. asparagus. trimmed
• 1 bunch radishes, trimmed
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 16 oz. fresh strawberries, chopped, divided in half
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. honey (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Toss the asparagus and radishes in olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Season salmon filet with olive oil and salt, and add to the sheet pan as well. Distribute lemon slices over the salmon and asparagus Bake for 20 minutes.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend half of the strawberries, the olive oil, vinegar, honey (if using), cream and salt.
4. Divide the spinach between two plates and top with asparagus, radishes and half of the salmon filet on each plate. Top with remaining chopped strawberries and drizzle with dressing.