This Arugula Spring Salad is refreshing and packed with seasonal veggies and flavor. It features peas, radishes, asparagus, sugar snap peas and a homemade lemon honey dressing.
It is finally starting to feel like Spring outside. The temperature is steadily getting warmer, flowers are blooming, and the leaves are starting to bud on trees. After hibernating all winter it is nice to see everyone outside being more active.
Spring is also a great time to enjoy the fresh produce that first appears in gardens or farms. This Arugula Spring Salad showcases radishes, asparagus, spring peas, and sugar snap peas. The salads texture is balanced by creamy goat cheese, which adds a refreshing tang, and sunflower seeds for a satisfying crunch. Drizzle homemade lemon vinaigrette to really bring the whole plate together.
Consuming fruits and vegetables that are in season adds a lot of nutritional benefits to our diets. In today’s age we have year-round access to an array of different foods. But let’s be honest, eating a tomato during the winter is not nearly as tasty as a ripe tomato in the summer. Crops, when harvested during their seasonal primes, grow in abundance and are allowed to ripen fully before being picked. Likewise, they typically don’t have to travel as far from farm to market because there are more producers. These factors combine to yield fruits and vegetables that are fresher, tastier, richer in nutrients, and cheaper to the consumer.
All of this is to say there are great benefits to eating what is in season. However, it is important to remember to diversify your diet and incorporate a variety of different fruits and vegetables. Take advantage of the fresh, in-season produce, but don’t set strict limits based solely on what the calendar says you should eat. The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables far outweigh skipping them all together just because they are not locally in season.
Here is a list of some of the Spring produce you will be seeing more of in the grocery stores or farmers markets. Try some and your taste buds will thank you!
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Arugula
Green Peas
Fava Beans
Radishes
Green onions
Spinach
Artichokes
This Arugula Spring Salad is delicious on its own, or as a side. Feel free to add additional toppings. You can add protein (chicken, fish, hard boiled eggs) or a grain (quinoa, barley, farro). For instance, I served it with toasted quinoa. Just cook quinoa according to the package, let it cool, then spread on a sprayed baking sheet pan. Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Then sprinkle on top of the salad.
This salad is great to serve to guests. If you feel like being fancy you can form the goat cheese into small balls, then roll it in the toasted quinoa. Or roll the goat cheese ball in chopped fresh herbs and crushed nuts. This can be prepared ahead of time and really adds to the eye (and taste) appeal of the salad! Doesn’t that look yummy?!
I hope you try this Spring salad out!
Arugula Spring Salad with a Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 4-5 Cup Arugula
- ¼ Cup fresh peas or frozen
- 6 Asparagus spears
- ½ Cup Snap peas cut in half
- ¼ Cup Radishes thinly sliced
- ½ medium yellow squash thinly sliced
- 2 TBSP Goat cheese crumbled (or more to your liking)
- Sunflower seeds
- ¼ small red onion thinly sliced
Lemon honey dressing
- ½ Cup Olive oil
- 6 TBSP Lemon juice (~1-2 medium lemon)
- 1 tsp Dijon
- 1 TBSP Honey
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- To make pickled red onion: place the sliced red onion in a small, but wide bottom bowl. Pour red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar) into the bowl until most of the onion is submerged. Set aside and occasionally stir to make sure all the onions get pickled.
- Wash all your vegetables under running water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is heating up prepare an ice bath. Fill a medium large bowl with ice and cold water, set aside. This will serve as a method to shock the vegetables and prevent them from continuing to cook.
- Once the water is boiling drop the asparagus spears into the water. Boil until tender (3-4 mins depending upon thickness). You can spear an asparagus with a fork to see if it meets your standard of al dente. After two minutes of cooking the asparagus add the peas (they need about 1-2 minutes in the boiling water).
- When the asparagus is to your liking, drain the vegetables into a colander and immediately place in ice water bath for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, drain the vegetables in a colander. Slice the asparagus spears to about ¾-1 inch pieces.
- While the water is boiling you can start slicing the other vegetables and putting them aside. Slice the radishes and yellow squash as thin as possible, use a knife or mandolin. (Or if you have a food processor with the slice attachment, feel free to use that.)
- In a small bowl, put ½ Cup water and 1TBSP sugar and mix well. Add the sliced radishes to get rid of some of the bitter taste. *If you do not mind the peppery taste of radishes then feel free to skip this step.
- To make the dressing: Squeeze fresh lemons (depending upon size, will need 1-2 lemons) into a small bowl and strain the seeds. *Note you can use bottled lemon juice but fresh lemons are more flavorful
- Place all the dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until well combined.
- To Assemble: Place the arugula in a bowl or on a large platter. Place all the prepared vegetables (sliced and blanched) on top. Crumble the goat cheese and sprinkle with the sunflower seeds. Serve with the dressing.
Nutrition Facts
Pay attention to how the produce section changes seasonally and choose a few new plants to try this spring!
Which spring vegetables do you like best or want to try this Spring?
Arugula Spring Salad with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
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