As I look out the window right now I am amazed by the most
gorgeous blue sky and glorious sunshine that graces my world…. spring is
quickly approaching!! And for that I am
greatly relieved! If you live in much of
the lower 48 I am sure you are feeling pretty much the same way, as this has
truly been a doozy of a winter. As the days get longer and the skies brighter I
find myself craving lighter foods as well… gone is the deep-seated desire for
thick hearty soups. Instead I currently
desire the fresh tastes of spring… salads, citrus, light soups, and yes maybe a
bit of crusty bread to soak up each and every delectable morsel. So today I am going to share a favorite of
mine with you. It is quick, easy, and
all the ingredients are readily available this time of year.
I have to be honest here… this is more of a formula rather
than a recipe because once the desire for clean eating hits I do not want to
spend long hours in preparation. So a simple spring salad is our answer… one
that varies with what we have on hand.
Our go to is quite simple…
Romaine
Spinach
Sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced carrots (I use the vegetable peeler to make
them paper thin.)
Honeyed nuts (we switch back and forth between almonds &
pecans currently)
Optionals: pears, oranges, fresh berries such as
blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, or avocado. (but we always have one of
these on the salad)
Vinaigrette:
3:1 ratio
3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar/acid (white wine vinegar
or fresh squeezed orange juice)
a dash of salt
a pinch of pepper
a pinch of garlic powder (a very small pinch so as not to
overwhelm)
fresh herbs such as lemon thyme, parsley, tarragon, finely
diced
Honeyed nuts:
½ cup roughly chopped nuts of choice
1 Tbsp local honey
Place nuts and honey in a small pan over high heat. Stir until honey is melted and coats
nuts. Take off heat, spread on parchment
paper to cool. Break apart and sprinkle
on salad. Can be added while still warm
but it does make the salad wilt.
Roasted chicken can be added to make this more filling. My personal favorite is to make a
vinaigrette and add 1 Tbsp of grapefruit marmalade and serve over a salad of
spinach, romaine, cucumbers, supremed blood oranges/grapefruit, and avocado
with a sprinkling of honeyed almonds. I am also a bit of a pepper and cheese freak so it is not all that uncommon to discover freshly grated pepper and a sprinkling of of parmesan slivers or crumbles of feta on my salad.
I hope you enjoy!
