Strawberry-Cucumber Salad with Almonds and Mint

A lovely fresh cucumber salad with fresh strawberries gets a garnish of slivered almonds and fresh mint leaves. It's served on lettuce leaves with a tangy balsamic strawberry dressing

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons seedless strawberry preserves or strawberry jam
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cups diced English (seedless) cucumber
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries (or frozen, thawed strawberries, halved)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lettuce leaves for serving, such as Bibb, Romaine, or red leaf lettuce

Directions

1. Place almonds in a small, dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until almonds are golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the preserves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Add the cucumber, strawberries, mint and toasted almonds and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve inside lettuce leaves or over chopped lettuce.