Have you ever made a recipe with roasted strawberries?

I love roasting vegetables, but roasting fruit is an absolute game changer! The heat from roasting causes the naturally occurring sugars in the fruit to begin to caramelize, and this makes it much sweeter and also gives more depth to the flavour profile.

I love using fruits to make salad dressings, which is sadly a category of recipes that my website is completely lacking!! My apologies for this. Please trust me when I say I am on it!
Summer is salad season and I know that a lot of people out there think that salads are boring (wrong) and only a diet food (also wrong!). I believe that those people probably haven’t had a super tasty salad dressing that was good enough to convert them to being a salad lover, and it is my objective to put some damn delicious salad dressings on the website ASAP!

You are really going to love this roasted strawberry & Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette!

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So, lets talk about the recipe. It uses fresh basil, roasted strawberries, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Here are some of the health benefits of strawberries:

• Strawberries are relatively low in sugars compared to other fruits, and they are low on the glycemic index, which means they don’t cause your blood sugar to spike to the moon.
• They are high in vitamin C which is necessary for immune health.
• High in various antioxidants and plant compounds that can support heart health and reduce the risk of developing cancer.
• Reduces inflammation in the body.
• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL).
• Contain a decent amount of magnesium, folate and potassium.

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I spend 10 months of the year waiting for berries to be abundant and fresh in Alberta, Canada. Berry season is at its peak between July and August where I live, but you can still find some pretty juicy and flavourful ones at the end of June too! Having fresh berries in my fridge makes me so happy and I will often just eat an entire pint by the handful. It is literally natures candy and I am totally here for it!

Reasons why you will love this recipe:

• It is easy to make.
• It can take a boring salad to totally glamorous!
• It contains healthy fats that are good for heart health.
• It is full of flavour and is oh so tasty!
• It is free from refined sugar, gluten and dairy.
• It is vegan and paleo.

I hope that you enjoy this salad dressing as much as I do! If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments below, and tag me on Instagram or Pinterest @wholisticfoodie and use the hashtag #wholisticfoodie!

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recipe notes:

• I have not tried this recipe with frozen strawberries.
• If you do not have fresh basil, use 1 tsp of dry basil instead.
• Another kind of oil such as avocado oil can be substituted if you do now have or want to use olive oil.