Summer Garden Salad
This summer garden salad recipe takes advantage of what’s in season – greens, nectarines, grapes, radishes, blueberries, cucumber and pistachios.
I can’t believe that up until a few years ago I rarely ate salads. Confession: I was a sugar/bread-aholic! And the thought of salad as a full meal…well, pshaw!
But now, I eat salads all the time. Wonders never cease! In fact, they’re one of my favorite meals as it’s just so easy to toss a bunch of seasonal produce together in a bowl, mix around and voila – a healthy, well balanced and energizing meal.
With the sunny weather in SoCal right now I’m loving this summer garden salad! It was inspired by a recent lunch at True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach, which I adore. Clean food + inspiring wellness quotes on the wall + beachy vibes make for an awesome lunch.
But I altered their salad a bit with what I had on hand. Again, the beauty of salads! So my version is a mix of salad greens, cucumber, radishes, nectarines, blueberries and grapes. And it’s topped with crunchy pistachios and finished off with a light, lemon vinaigrette.
It may look simple but don’t let looks fool you. This salad is power-packed with antioxidant-loaded produce and the flavor is uber satisfying. You may even want seconds!
Enjoy!
Summer Garden Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 1 white nectarine, sliced
- 10 grapes, halved
- 2 radishes, sliced
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, sliced and halved
- 1/4 cup pistachios
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl (except the pistachios) and mix together.
- Divide the salad evenly between two plates. Add the pistachios on top.
- Mix together the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle the salad dressing on top.
Nutrition
Other salads you might like:
Roasted Beet, Blood Orange and Mandarin Salad
Apple Chicken Salad
Eggplant Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Arugula
I couldn’t get through at least 6 months of the year without a daily fresh green organic salad and homemade french style (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil) dressing. With a limited food budget, it’s mostly the same collection of ingredients, but that doesn’t matter to me. I love the crunch, colour and tangy dressing. I’m a creative, visual sort of person so the bowl it’s served in is just as important as the ingredients.
Ditto Vicki! Crunch, color and vibrancy are key! I never tire of them either. And I love how you value the visual aspect of the bowl. It makes for a truly beautiful meal! :) x
The lemon vinaigrette sounds divine…. I love light, refreshing dressings in the summer!
Thanks Sarah! That lemon vinaigrette is my “go to” for probably 80% of my salads. Well, that is, when I’m not using a balsamic vinaigrette (also my fave). :) x
Salads are such a wonderful foundation for a medley of ingredients – so fun to create different flavor combinations. Love the salad mix and dressing you created! Definitely shows that salads don’t have to be boring or tasteless :)