This fresh Spring Mix Salad is loaded with beautiful leafy Artisan red and green lettuce, crunchy Persian cucumbers, fresh blueberries, and candied walnuts lightly tossed in a simple olive oil based vinaigrette.
Do you sometime find yourself in a salad slump? You have good intentions on making more salads, eating more green leafy vegetables, but you've lost your creative juices and you seem to keep going back to your typical standard garden salad.
Please do not get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a garden salad. I just want to reinforce the fact that salads come in different forms and varieties and can go beyond just the typical romaine lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Adding fresh fruits and nuts to the mix can bring on different tastes and textures along with a complimentary sweet and savory component. They do not have to be complex or loaded with all the things. However, challenging yourself to think outside-the-box can help you level up your salad game in a simple and approachable way.
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Ingredients
- Artisan Lettuce
- Persian cucumbers
- Walnuts
- Blueberries
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- One of the following acids for the vinaigrette (white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, orange muscat champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar)
How to build a salad
Keep the following in mind when building this spring mix salad or any other salad for that matter. Use in combination to suit your taste:
- Pick your greens (Artisan lettuce, spinach, kale, butter lettuce, arugula, red lettuce, green leafy lettuce)
- Add fresh fruits and/or other vegetables (blueberries, strawberries, apples, pears, red or golden beets, cucumbers, green beans, sugar snap peas, avocado, olives, corn, radishes)
- Crunchy protein for texture (walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, bacon)
- Other protein (grilled or seared chicken or steak, pan seared salmon, broiled salmon, Cajun Grilled Salmon In Foil, seared shrimp or cooked quinoa, chickpeas, cooked farro)
- Toppings (goat cheese, crumbled feta, parmesan, mint, basil or dill)
- Salad Dressing (vinaigrette or a creamy based dressing)
How to make a spring mix salad
This simple but mighty salad is all you need to get your salad game on. It has all the texture needed to create the perfect mouth feel, and it's delicious.
Lettuces: Challenge yourself to try different types of leafy greens. This recipe includes a mixture of red and green Artisan lettuce.
Cucumbers: Persian cucumbers provide crunch, are more dense and do not contain watery seeds like the English cucumber.
Blueberries: Provide color and a pop of tart and sweetness.
Candied Walnuts: They're toasting and provide crunch, texture, and sweetness to round out the savory sweet taste.
Salad dressing: This simple vinaigrette is all you need. It's not overpowering and only requires an acid, a good extra virgin olive oil, and kosher salt. These few ingredients are mixed together until emulsified then used to lightly dress this spring mix salad.
Tips
- When picking lettuce, use at least 2 different types of lettuces and make sure the lettuce is vibrant and crisp.
- You can also use a spring mix bag of salad.
- When picking blueberries, examine the package to make sure you do not find any that are mildewed, soft or mushy.
- Feel free to use walnuts or pecans whichever one you choose I highly suggest that at the bare minimum you toast them for a few minutes if you prefer not having them candied.
- Make sure when chopping your lettuce, it's the perfect size... not too big.
- Orange muscat champagne vinegar is sold at Trader Joe's you have to try it... so good.
- Vinaigrette is really easy to make from scratch all you need to do is remember the acid to oil ratio that you like (I use 1 part acid to 2 parts oil ratio).
- One you make your base vinaigrette, it can be enhanced with minced garlic, finely chopped shallots, chopped herbs and even a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a little sweetness.
- You can also top with your favorite cooked protein such as grilled or seared chicken, sliced flank steak, salmon, shrimp or a plant-based protein and make it an actual meal rather than a side.
Other salad recipes you may like
Vegan Roasted Beet Salad with Grilled Peaches
Simple Arugula Salad With Nectarines
Connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Fresh Spring Mix Salad
Equipment
- Salad bowl
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Saute skillet or pan to make candied walnuts
Ingredients
- 4 heads Artisan lettuce (chopped)
- 1 cup Persian cucumbers (sliced)
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- 8 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoon orange muscat champagne vinegar (or any of the following acids: white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, orange muscat champagne vinegar, red wine vinegar)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
Candied Walnuts
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon clarified butter (or regular butter)
Instructions
- Add vinegar and kosher salt to a small mixing bowl and slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Set aside.
- Place saute pan over medium heat. Add butter and sugar to pan and allow butter to melt. Add walnuts to pan and toss to coat for 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
- Wash and slice Persian cucumbers about ¼ inch thick. Set aside.
- Place heads of lettuce on cutting board and chop using a sharp knife. Add chopped lettuce in the colander of a salad spinner and wash lettuce. Then, use the salad spinner to dry lettuce thoroughly.
- Add the chopped lettuce to a salad bowl or platter. Top with cucumbers, blueberries, and candied walnuts and lightly drizzle with vinaigrette.
- Store remaining vinaigrette in an airtight container and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- When picking lettuce, use at least 2 different types of lettuces and make sure the lettuce is vibrant and crisp.
- You can also use a spring mix bag of salad.
- When picking blueberries, examine the package to make sure you do not find any that are mildewed, soft or mushy.
- Feel free to use walnuts or pecans whichever one you choose I highly suggest that at the bare minimum you toast them for a few minutes if you prefer not having them candied.
- Make sure when chopping your lettuce, it's the perfect size... not too big.
- Vinaigrette is really easy to make from scratch all you need to do is remember the acid to oil ratio that you like (I use 1 part acid to 2 parts oil ratio).
- One you make your base vinaigrette, it can be enhanced with minced garlic, finely chopped shallots, chopped herbs and even a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a little sweetness.
- You can also top with your favorite cooked protein such as grilled or seared chicken or sliced flank steak and make it am actual meal rather than a side.
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