Strawberry Pecan Camp Salad
Freeze-dried strawberries, pecans, and a shaken balsamic dressing over greens that survive a pack.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 105
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Lunch
- No cook
- Car camping
- Day hike
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Sturdy salad greens | 6 cups | kale or romaine; spring mix turns to slime by noon |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried strawberry slices | 1 cup | or 1/2 lb fresh if you have a cooler |
| Chopped pecans | 1/3 cup | |
| Crumbled goat cheese | 1/2 cup | vacuum-sealed log, cooler only |
| Balsamic vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | replaces the fresh clove |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tbsp | squeeze packets or a small tube |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the vinegar, oil, garlic powder, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small jar or bottle. Cap it and shake until it stops looking separated.
- Tear the greens into the pot or a wide bowl.
- Scatter the pecans and strawberries over the top, then crumble the cheese in.
- Pour the dressing over just before eating and toss. Dressed greens go limp fast, so do not do this early.
This started as a home salad, so most of the work was making it survive a day in a pack. Fresh strawberries bruise and weep, so freeze-dried slices carry the same flavor at a fraction of the weight and no mess. Garlic powder replaces the minced clove because nobody is chopping garlic at a trailhead. The greens have to be sturdy ones; delicate mixes are already wilted by the time you stop for lunch.
The dressing is the part that actually matters. Mustard emulsifies the vinegar and oil so it stays mixed in the bottle instead of pooling, and the sugar takes the edge off the balsamic. Goat cheese is the only cooler item here, and it is the one thing standing between this and a fully shelf-stable lunch. Leave it out and the salad still works.
Packing
Mix the dressing at home and carry it in a leakproof bottle inside a zip bag. Nuts and strawberries share one bag. Goat cheese stays in the cooler, wrapped, until the last minute.
Variations
- Skip the cheese and it becomes a full pack-only salad with no cooler needed.
- Dried cranberries work if freeze-dried strawberries are out of budget.
- Sunflower seeds in place of pecans make it nut-free.
https://mealswithmaria.site/this-strawberry-spring-salad-recipe-has-been-my-go-to-since-college