Summery Salad

Have I mentioned I love summer? I love summery salads because we can use fresh lettuce and veggies from our garden, and enjoy a balanced, filling and flavorful meal without having to heat up the kitchen with the oven or stove.

I made this particular salad for our 4th of July celebration, so of course I used red, white and blue components. But it’s totally customizable so feel free to get creative and grab for that seasonal fresh fruit that is colorful and flavorful!

Get Greens!

Since our garden is growing out of control, I was anxious to use up some fresh lettuce. But this salad is super versatile so you could sub out spinach, mixed greens, arugula, or any other type of green leafy. Be sure to wash and spin dry before building the salad.

Get Fruity!

Depending on which fruits are in season, or what flavor profile you’re going for, choose your toppings accordingly. I went with strawberries, blueberries and goat cheese for a red, white and blue theme. Peaches, blackberries, pears, watermelon, grapes and oranges are just some examples of fruits that pair well with greens, nuts and dressing.

Get Nutty!

You can swap out the nuts, but I used walnuts and coconut sugar. This provides a delicious sweet and salty crunch to your summery salad. If you can’t do nuts, you could try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or puffed quinoa. Other ideas might be roasted chickpeas or plantain chips.

Get Dressy!

When making a summery salad dressing, go for 60/30/10. 60% of the dressing is the oil base (my go-to’s are olive oil or avocado oil). 30% is acid like vinegar or lemon juice. And 10% is other additions like a sweetener to balance out the tartness of the acid. I like to use honey or pure maple syrup. You can also add garlic, shallots, herbs and other seasonings.

Main Course or side dish

This salad is a tasty addition to any main course. It would be a great compliment to grilled chicken and corn on the cob, or maybe seared salmon and brown rice.

This salad could also be its own main course just by adding a protein to it. We always want to balance out our macronutrients, and getting sufficient protein is super important. I love adding grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp. Or for my vegan friends, quinoa or lentils would be a plant-based protein-rich addition.

I hope you try this recipe or get creative with your own ingredients. Summer is for salads! Enjoy!!