Going back to my Panera roots

Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen. It is summer salad time. So head to Panera and pay $8.00 or some ridiculous amount of money for their delicious Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad. Or... just go ahead and make your own at home.

Panera Bread Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

Price: $4.49 for 12 oz bottle
Where purchased: Schnucks
Overall rating: 4/5

On a recent trip to Schnucks, I discovered that they actually carry the entire line of Panera Bread salad dressings. I had tried a poppy seed dressing from Kraft a while ago that I really did not care for, so I was pretty excited to find this dressing that would sweeten up my summer salad experience. I was also excited to see how healthy the dressing is - 15 calories per serving, 0 grams of fat, and very little sugar or "junk" in the ingredients. I did spot some sucrulose at the very end of the ingredients, but I'm thinking it must be a pretty tiny amount.

On the bottle itself, Panera gives you the "recipe" to duplicate their Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad: Romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, and toasted pecans. I didn't have all of those things, so instead I first tried it with red romaine, strawberries, cucumbers, and 2 of my latest salad obsessions: Athenos Basil and Tomato Feta Cheese and Almond Accents - Honey Roasted flavor. Deeee-licious. The next time I tried it with some walnuts and craisins thrown in there. Also delicious. I have also seen recipes that suggest using the poppy seed dressing for fruit salads, spinach salads, and even chicken salads and wraps.

At $4.50 a bottle, this dressing is fairly pricey, but I think it is worth it to find a healthy, tasty, and versatile dressing that will keep me from getting tired of my daily salad. And with its healthy nutrition label and pleasantly sweet and not-too-tangy flavor, I'm giving this product a 4 out of 5 rating. Schnucks is the only grocery store where I have seen it sold, but I'm pretty sure you can purchase it at any Panera Bread bakery location as well.

Happy summer salad eating!