Spinach & Fresh Fruit Salad

This is a summer salad that actually commits. Baby spinach gets layered with sliced strawberries, blueberries, and ripe avocado, then crowned with creamy wedges of brie, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and toasted walnuts. Sweet fruit against salty brie and bitter greens is the flavor triangle that makes it work.

The dressing keeps things bright. Basil vinegar, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil whisk into a thin, herb-forward vinaigrette that slicks the leaves without drowning them. The trick is dressing in two stages: toss the spinach and fruit with a quarter cup first, then drizzle the rest right before serving so the toppings stay crisp.

No cooking, no stove, just chopping and layering. Ten minutes from fridge to plate and you have a salad substantial enough to carry a summer lunch on its own.

Chef Tips

• Slice the avocado just before serving. It browns fast once exposed to air, and a brown avocado on a pretty salad is heartbreaking.
• Toast the walnuts and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet for 2 to 3 minutes before adding. Raw nuts taste flat. Toasted nuts crackle.
• Bring the brie out of the fridge 20 minutes early. Cold brie is waxy. Room-temperature brie is buttery and spreads against the warm berries beautifully.
• Double the dressing and keep extra in a jar. This vinaigrette works on any green salad all week.

Variations

• Swap brie for goat cheese or blue cheese for sharper bite.
• Use peaches or nectarines in place of strawberries in high summer.
• Add grilled chicken breast to turn it into a proper main-course salad.