Super Fresh Spring Salad

Name: Super Fresh Spring Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 5 mint leaves; 1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese; 1/4 cup pepitas, toasted; 3 medium strawberries, rinsed and thinly sliced; 5 spears asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces; 2 cups baby spinach

1 Ratings

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Prep 5 min
Total 15 min
Servings 1

Add some grilled chicken or salmon for a super rad dinner salad! MORE+ LESS-

By Bev Cooks

Updated August 27, 2014

Ingredients

pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4

cup extra-virgin olive oil

mint leaves

tablespoon crumbled goat cheese

1/4

cup pepitas, toasted

medium strawberries, rinsed and thinly sliced

spears asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces

cups baby spinach

Steps

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1

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until it pops in color, 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer immediately to an ice bath. Once cooled, remove and pat dry.
2

Using a mortar and pestle or mini food processor, crush or combine the mint leaves with the salt, oil and lemon juice until you have a dressing.
3

Arrange the greens in a bowl or on a plate. Top with sliced strawberries, blanched asparagus, toasted pepitas, crumbled goat cheese and a good drizzle of the lemon/mint dressing.
4

Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

A salad so fresh and pretty it's like eating ART.

Salads.

We know we gotta eat 'em. We know we need 'em. We know about that freedom.

(Freedom has nothing to do with salads, but you know me and rhyming.)

But sometimes the idea of eating a salad makes me want to yank out my own esophagus and flush it down the toilet. I'd much rather back up a U Haul with 14,000 tacos into my pie hole than think about SALAD. Yawn-o-tron.

To me, salads have to be done jerst rawght. If they are standing alone as the main course, they must absolutely be loaded up with all kinds of textures and flavors and sexiness. Or, if it's acting as the smaller side salad leading up to the main course, it has to have just right amount of delicateness and balance, so not to throw off your entire meal, and life.

Let me introduce you to your new favorite salad evah. The reason it's going to be your new favorite is because (sit down) it can act as EITHER a side salad OR a dinner salad! AH KNOOOOWAAAA.

It's so stinkin' simple to pull together, and if you want, you can always add grilled chicken or salmon, or shoot y'all, STEAK and your head will explode like a pinata on Christmas morning.

Let's make it!

We have spring greens, asparagus, strawberries, goat cheese, pepitas and MINT.

Give your spears and straws some nice slicing action.

Toast up your pepitas in a small skillet or toaster oven, about 5 minutes.

Boil the asparagus in some water for 2 minutes. Then transfer them to an ice bath. Blanching is fun!

In the meantime, crush up some mint with a pinch of salt, oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, a small food processor will be just fine.

Seriously, all you do is put it together. Arrange the greens, then top with strawberries, blanched asparagus (that you pat dry), GOAT CHEESE CRUMBLES (lick your fingers. that tang!), the pepitas and the super fresh lemon/mint dressing.

I always sprinkle a teeny bit of salt over the final thing, but you don't have to. Don't you want to climb into this totally super fresh spring salad and never come out?

This recipe makes one salad. And like I said, eat as is for lunch, or as a side with dinner. Or add mounds of protein and surrender to the angels of bliss. Because I did.

Super fresh!

More Fresh Foods for Spring

Try some of these fresh ideas for spring eats:

Rustic Spring Pizzettes Recipe
Asparagus Pesto Pasta Recipe
Citrus Sunshine Salsa Recipe
Asian Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups Recipe
Apple-Grapefruit Salad Recipe

*Bev wants you to know that she will never EVER rip out her esophagus. It would be too messy of an ordeal. For more musings, visit her blog Bev Cooks and her Tablespoon profile.