Refreshing Summer Bougainvillea Salad

Is there a better time than the Summer for a crisp, refreshing salad infused with delightful fresh fruit!!?  I absolutely love a good salad, and the following recipe is no exception. 




At the beginning of the Summer Solstice, my garden was practically bursting with beautiful bougainvillea.  If you would like to read more about it, you may do so here.

Did you know that bougainvillea flowers are edible?   In South America, it is used often and it is even brewed into tea!  To my unsophisticated palate (lol), the flavor is similar to arugula, which I absolutely love.  Being that my gardens were so very bountiful, I thought why not indulge in some?   For this recipe, you will need:

Grape leaves, rinsed thoroughly

Spring mix, rinsed

Fresh fruit such as strawberries or grapes, rinsed

Candied nuts

Bougainvillea, rinsed thoroughly

Crumbled feta cheese, if desired

The first thing I added were grape leaves fresh off of my grapevines.



I was sure to rinse them thoroughly, and because the leaves on my vines are fairly large, I cut them into smaller portions.



 Next, I added a bit of spring mix from my local grocer.

I added some fresh fruit.  Strawberries sounded so refreshing, as did sweet grapes right off my vines!  So yummy.  I also added candied nuts, which is the perfect counterbalance to the tartness of the greens.

If you would like to view my recipe for simple candied nuts, you may do so by visiting the post in the archives here.

Finally, I added the gorgeous bougainvillea.  Isn't this lovely?

This salad is best served with a light and fruity vinaigrette.  I love fruit-infused varieties such as raspberry or strawberry.  Delish!!  I also recommend you add a tart cheese such as crumbled feta, but as my kiddos aren't fond of it, I omitted it from mine. 

I served the salad in a whimsical wheelbarrow salad dish, because, why not!?  :-)

If you like this recipe, you may pin it for future reference:







 

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