After going to the strawberry festival this weekend in Pontchatula Louisiana, I am all about incorporating the berries this week in as many ways as possible. Salads are easy when coming off of a weekend of indulgence as I am. In addition to this salad, I will also do a strawberry and spinach salad with chicken salad and pecans (also super easy). Also in my world, strawberry season would not be complete without a pitcher of fresh strawberry lemonade. The lemonade is great as a side to the salads, transformed into frozen pipe or an adult cocktail with the addition of vodka and basil or rum and mint!

Quick tips when picking strawberries:
-Look for berries that are still attached to a little stem. They last longer in the fridge!
-Don’t cut them up until you are going to eat them. They will start to break down immediately.
-To get the most of your berry, remove the green top by inserting a straw in the narrow end and pushing it through to remove the top without cutting off good berry!

Check out the salad recipe below.

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/3 lb. shrimp
1 cup baby kale greens
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 small avocado
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp. oil (avocado or olive oil)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. coarse black pepper

Directions:
1. Peel and devein (or use frozen)
2. Heat oil per medium heat. Lightly season one side of shrimp and add to hot skillet seasoned-side down.
3. Season other side of shrimp and flip after 2 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. (Shrimp will continue to cook in residual heat.
4. Rinse spinach and kale and rip or chop if large leaves. Add to a bowl and mix well with vinegar. Add to a plate.
5. Slice strawberries and avocado and add on top of greens. Top with shrimp and enjoy.