Strawberry Pistachio Salad

I've been through a real significant lifestyle change, driven by some health issues and I couldn't be happier with the results. I've lost almost half my body weight, I eat high protein, as little sugar as physically possible, very low carb and low fat. As a result, my recipes have taken a real turn. But one thing I can promise...they're still crazy good because my love of good food has not been compromised. I've always loved salad and my creativity in this realm has really taken off. Prepare yourself for this surprising, bright, whimsical salad. It's honestly award worthy ;-) I made this salad with deli ham because I love the combination of ham and strawberries, but it would be delicious with turkey or even rotisserie chicken!

This recipe makes two dinner sized salads

This is an AI generated image because I ate this salad too fast to get a picture of it. This isn't actually what it looks like, but the image made me laugh, so this is what you get until I make it again and change the picture :-)

Ingredients:

6 cups of lettuce mix of your choice. I prefer the field greens with spinach

1/2 pound of juicy strawberries, sliced

1 Medium cucumber, cut into bite size pieces (Peel or no peel, it's your choice)

1/2 cup of fresh bail leaves, lightly chopped ( I like to shred them so you get a good bite of basil and it doesn't get lost in the salad mix

1/2 point of your favorite ham. I use smoked deli ham and just cut it into bite size pieces

2 big handfuls of pretzels (any size/shape is fine, 'cause you're gonna break them all up in there)

Dressing;

4 Tbs Pistachio butter

Juice of two limes

1 tbs champagne vinegar (can use white wine vinegar too)

A pinch of Sumac (I know, who has this in their pantry? You can totally skip this, but i fyou happen to have it, it adds a nice touch)

1/4 tsp. Ancho Chili powder (Again, if you don't have this, just use regular chili powder, it'll still be good)

2 Tsp Agave or Honey

1-3 Tbs water (Just enough to thin this into a pourable dressing.

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Start by mixing up your dressing so it can get all delicious while you're making your salad. The key to a good dressing is the ratio of vinegar to sweet/salty, so please feel free to adjust to your taste, as every lime gives a different amount of juice etc. I do recommend mixing the ingredients as specified and letting it sit for a few minutes before you dial in the flavor.

Chop your lettuce a little bit so you don't feel like a wild animal while your eating this salad. Add your sliced strawberries, sliced or diced cucumbers, shredded or chopped basil and chopped ham. Drizzle the dressing and toss lightly. Take your pretzels and break them up over the top of this salad.

Serve and EnJoy!