It’s almost Blueberry Season in Georgia! We are getting ready for it by passing on recipes for super fare like this. (The delicious season starts in mid April and end at the end of July.) We love blueberries in salads, main dishes, topping yogurt and just plain out-of-hand. Here’s a fun main dish blueberry salad that everyone will love, AND it’s pretty, too.

Basil absolutely SINGS in this salad. Its peppery, bright flavor adds a real zip to the salad – we use it as part of our greens, instead of a garnish. As the summer rolls in, this salad will become more and more seasonal, as our herb gardens burst with lots and lots of basil.

Basil has many essential oils such as eugenol, citronellol, and limonene. These compounds are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Basil also is very low in calories and contain no cholesterol. This salad is rich essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are required for optimum health.

Bacon and Blueberries Salad

16 Cups Baby Spinach

½ Cup Red Onions, Thinly Sliced and soaked in ice water for 30 minutes, drained and patted dry

4 Slices Turkey Bacon, crumbled

1 Pint Blueberries

¼ Cup Julienned Basil

1 Cup Toasted, Slivered or Sliced Almonds

Toss together the ingredients in a large bowl and serve with the cheddar dressing on top.

Cheddar Dressing

2 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TB Red Wine Vinegar

1 TB Lemon Juice

2 Tsp Grated Garlic

½ Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt

1 Cup Grated Low Fat Cheddar

2 Finely Chopped Green Onions, Greens Only

1 Tsp Sea Salt

¼ Tsp Finely Ground Black Pepper

In bowl, combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and garlic. Add in the yogurt and cheddar, stir together well. Add the green onions and season with salt and pepper.