Spring Salad

Ingredients For Spring Salad

• Spring Greens: You can use any variety of spring mix salad greens for this recipe. Mesclun greens, baby greens, baby lettuces and spring greens all work well. You can also use head lettuce like buttercrunch lettuce. Look for greens free from wilt or showing signs of becoming slimy or rotten. Wash them in cold water, drain and spin dry before using them.
• Radishes: Radishes are a crop that thrives in cooler temperatures before the heat of the summer. Look for interesting varieties such as Easter Egg radishes or French Breakfast. Wash them very well and remove the greens. Slice into thin slices for the salad. If using Watermelon radish, cut them into thin strips.
• Asparagus Tips: For this salad I used just the tips of the asparagus, and since it is in season and super fresh right now, it is actually enjoyable to eat them raw! (Also check out this shaved asparagus salad if you don’t believe me!) Save the rest of the stalks to make this One Pot Chicken and Rice with Spring Vegetables, Asparagus Soup or add it to your veggie scraps for stock. If you prefer cooked asparagus, you could substitute cooked and chopped roasted asparagus or even grilled asparagus if the weather is nice out!
• Green Peas: If fresh shelling peas are in season where you live they would make this spring salad extra special. If not you can use frozen and thawed peas like I did today. Or you could substitute another spring vegetable such as sugar snap peas or cooked and chilled fiddlehead ferns.
• Bacon: We love the smoky taste of bacon with this salad. You can sub in another type of bacon or omit if you like
• Greek Yogurt and Mayonnaise: To make the dressing lower in calories but still creamy and luscious I used a blend of Greek Yogurt and mayonnaise. I used a half cup of the yogurt and only two tablespoons of the dressing. This ratio works remarkably well. If you like a slightly richer dressing use full fat Greek yogurt (5%) and you will still save plenty of calories over straight mayonnaise.
• Vinegar: For the spring mix salad dressing I use either white wine vinegar or cider vinegar. Either work well. If you can’t find either rice vinegar or even red wine vinegar work too. You can read more about the difference between vinegars here.
• Fresh Dill: To give the dressing delicious fresh spring taste, I added in a small amount of chopped dill. You can use a couple pinches of dill weed if you are all out of fresh dill.
• Salt and Pepper: To season.

Variations To Try For This Spring Salad Recipe

Feel free to use your imagination when subbing in your favorite salad toppings. Just beware of the fact that tender spring greens can be weighed down and crushed easily, so it is best to serve them as a composed salad instead of tossed.

• Vegan: You can skip the eggs, or sub in your favorite baked tofu for them. I love to use shiitake bacon instead of pork bacon too. And for the dressing this Creamy tahini dressing or my Tarragon Vinaigrette would work well.
• Summer Variations: After asparagus season is over, use broiled cherry tomatoes like I made in this Brunch Salad. Top it with the yogurt dressing or for something different try this Kalamata Olive and Basil Vinaigrette!
• Alternative Veggies: Or you could use shaved carrots, cucumbers and pickled beets instead of asparagus, peas and radishes.
• Miscellaneous Add Ons: Include your favorite salad toppings like creamy avocado, feta cheese or chickpeas.

Serving Suggestions

• Pair with homemade Lavender Lemonade or Switchel
• Top with a filet of crispy seared salmon or grilled Grilled Chicken Thigh.
• Use a scoop of Egg Salad instead of the hard boiled eggs, and serve toasted whole wheat bread on the side.
• Make Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, this delicious Healthy Carrot Cake or Coconut Cake with Raspberries for a spring dessert!

Make Ahead and Storage

The dressing can be made ahead up to 5 days in advance. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge. Stir or whisk well before using. The salad can be prepared and composed one day ahead. Store in individual meal prep containers, or wrap individual composed salads with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.