Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Pecan Salad with Basil Vinegrette + A Giveaway!

Today, I am teaming with a brand that makes one of my favorite products for a busy mom. I love cooking with fresh herbs and Gourmet Garden makes it possible for me to have delicious fresh flavors year round despite living in the frozen tundra!  My garden is full of herbs in the summer, but during the off season I still want those delicious flavors. Gourmet Garden has sponsored a few cooking challenges I have participated in over the past few years such as: #FreshTastyValentines, #HotSummerEats, #TripleSBites, and #10DaysofTailgate. A few of my favorite recipes created for these challenges are:

1) Seared Scallops with Processco Herb Beurre Blanc

2) Grilled Ribeye with Garlic Blue Cheese Mustard Sauce

3) Garlic Herb Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Aoli and Feta

4) Pan-Seared Salmon with Citrus Sauvignon Blanc Herb Cream Sauce

The recipe above are just a small snap shot to showcase this great product. The herbs also have a longer shelf life and I feel like I am not wasting just to get a few tablespoons of basil. 

Gourmet Garden has generously offered to send one lucky reader a pack of 18 different herb products (12 stir-in pastes and 6 lightly dried).  This is the same prize pack that I have been able to work with and I assure you that you will really enjoy using their products of you have not had an opportunity already.  The pastes range from basil and garlic to a Thai blend and the lightly dried includes favorites like ginger, cilantro, and parsley. 

Today, I wanted to offer a different use for the stir-in paste and that is to make a dressing. The pastes are great for dressings because you get the fresh flavor, but do not have to breakout your food processor. Strawberry season is slowly approaching our area and after a long winter there are few things better than a warm sun-ripened strawberry right off the vine. I took Kellen picking last year and I think we ate more than we brought home! I wanted to showcase one of my very favorite flavor combinations- strawberry and basil. I love strawberry and basil together and it is usually something I love in a drink, but a salad is another great way to blend some of my favorite flavors. I added a little crumbled goat cheese for richness and candied pecans for a little sweet crunch (plain toasted work great too!). I also opted to use arugula for it's peppery bite, but feel free to use your favorite green. I made this salad to share with my family at a recent cookout at our home and everyone adored it- especially me. Even competing with the normal cookout sides it was the one bowl on the table that was completely empty at the end of the night! 

Enter using the rafflecopter below for a change to win and let me know what Gourmet Garden product you are most excited to try!  The giveaway is limited to U.S. and Canada readers. The giveaway runs till 5/26/16 to 6/1/16 and there are 3 different ways to enter- good luck everyone! 

Ingredients

5 oz fresh arugula (I use baby arugula for bite size portions)
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup candied pecans pieces (I find these by the salad area of my store, but plain toasted will also work)
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
Basil Vinaigrette (see below)


Basil Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbl Gourmet Garden Basil or finely chopped basil
1 1/2 tsp honey
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl whisk together ingredients. Season with salt & pepper or additional honey is desired. Set aside. 


Instructions

In a large salad bowl, gently toss together arugula, goat cheese, strawberries and pecans. Dressing with basil dressing or serve on the side.

a Rafflecopter giveaway