Cherry Chive Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (On Chicken & Spinach Wraps)

*Cherries c/o Northwest Cherry Growers/ Washington State Fruit Commission.

Our cherrypalooza is winding down, although, only because we need room in our fridge for some other things soon. We had a huge bowl of fresh bing cherries out for Baby E’s birthday celebration and the all the neighborhood kids were more into the cherries than they were the cake!

Once you reach the bruised fruit in the bottom of your bag, it can be a bit of a sad feeling to think about wasting those last beat up morsels. They just don’t look pretty enough to serve as is, and there aren’t enough for a complicated dessert. Never fear, there are interesting salad dressings to the rescue!

I always feel salad dressings are underrated. They can really make or break a great salad. We tend to eat big salads as our whole meal at our house (well, OK the grown-ups do anyway). I like making our dressings since we can alter the ingredients easily to add other bold flavors and it is usually cheaper than store-bought bottles.

Our chives are one of the first things to pop up in spring and they go all summer. Our Giant Noble spinach is also really growing quickly right now. So making spinach wraps with a cherry chive vinaigrette seemed like a no-brainer.

Cherry Chive Vinaigrette

1/2 cup pitted fresh cherries
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ground garlic
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Using a blender, mix all ingredients until almost smooth. A little piece-y is OK.

Drizzle over your favorite salad or use as a marinade! The only sugar is from the fruit. This dressing is great with cucumbers and bleu cheese.

Makes 1.5 cups. Store in refrigerator in glass jar for up to one week.

Fresh cherries are the best! Visit Northwest Cherry Growers/ Washington State Fruit Commission to learn more about the fruit they provide and inquire about the shipping list.