Spring is prime time for ALL THE GREENS. Best way to use up those fresh, beautiful greens is to make a big salad! This recipe uses specific produce and value added products from the farmers’ market, but the best part about a salad is that you can make it your own. To put together the perfect salad you need greens and produce, a protein source, cheese, a little crunch, and dressing. This recipe includes all five of those components with substitution ideas so you can make it your own!
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
Salad:
-
1-2 cups of Greens*
- 1/4 cup Radishes*, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Green Garlic*, thinly sliced (substitute garlic scapes* or green onions*)
- 8 oz. Chicken Breast*, cooked and diced
- 1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (optional)
- 1/4 cup Smoky Bac’n Clusters*
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
*available from local producers at Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow
Method:
- Add dressing ingredients to a sealed jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside.
- Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing, toss, and enjoy!
Building the Perfect Salad:
- Select your green. There are far more options here than you likely realize. You could go with the traditional salad mix* or romaine*, or you could get more creative and try out one of the following: spinach*, kale*, arugula*, swiss chard*, tatsoi*, buttercrunch*, butterhead*, or redleaf*.
- Select your produce. There is no limit here! Add as many veggies and fruits as you’d like and play around with roasting them if you want to get a little wild. It can be nice to pick at least one allium (green garlic*, green onions*, garlic scapes*, red onion*) to add another element of flavor. And don’t forget that you can go beyond just vegetables – berries* and apples* are great in salads as well!
- Select your protein. There is a wide variety of options here depending on your dietary restrictions. You can go the meat route and use chicken*, beef*, pork*, or hard boiled eggs*. You could also go the vegetarian route and use tofu, tempeh, or beans.
- Select your cheese. Feta is always a delicious option for salads, but a shredded hard cheese or cheese curds would also be delicious.
- Select your crunch. No salad is complete without a little crunch. Nuts and seeds are a great option for this.
- Select or make your dressing. Savory Snackage offers a Peach Poppyseed dressing* and a Tahini Ginger dressing*, but it’s also super easy to make your own. To make a vinaigrette, you’ll do 4 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or lemon/lime juice with your seasoning. Seasoning could include salt, pepper, garlic, shallot, mustard, etc. Simply add all your ingredients to a sealed jar and shake it up!
*available from local producers at Countryside Farmers’ Market at Howe Meadow