Crisp spring salad with a fresh carrot juice, apple cider vinegar and safflower vinaigrette.
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE:
Spring Mix: Spring mix is a combination mesclun greens it can be a huge variety but it generally features baby lettuce, romaine, spinach, cards and other edible greens. for this recipe use your favorite you have on hand.
Veggies: My go-to for salads are generally the vegetables on hand. I like to mince up zucchini, carrots, alfalfa, cucumbers and onions for this one.
Carrot Juice: Carrot juice is the bulk of the dressing. To avoid this salad being overly carroty don’t add any whole carrots to the salad and don’t toss all the dressing over as well.
Safflower Oil: Safflower oil is a great all purpose neutral oil . It offers some heart health benefits but is pretty much tasteless so its a great oil to add body and take on any flavor.
Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar offers allot of gut health benefits. It also adds a nice tang to the carrots. any sweet vinegar will do here. Try it with champagne or rice wine vin.
Honey: A little sweetener goes along way. I add honey to this dish just to open up the sweetness and mimic the sweetness of the carrot. adding sugar can sometimes make a not cohesive grainy dressing. the honey blends allot better too.
TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE BEST SPRING SALAD + CARROT & SAFFLOWER VINAIGRETTE
make the dressing ahead: making the dressing ahead give all the flavors time to marry. this recipe is super easy all you need to do is blend it, set it and shake it when its time to serve.
tossing the greens: i prefer to make my salad first with dinner before the kitchen ends up hot and a mess. that way i can chop all the vegetables i need for dinner and have a nice healthy salad ready to go. when preparing your salad unless serving immediately pop it back in the fridge to stay chilled. lightly pour the dressing on the edge of the bowl and toss the greens into the sides. throwing dressing directly on the greens can result in wilted soggy lettuce.
SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:
ENJOY THIS RECIPE WITH:
INGREDIENTS
- 3c Spring Mix
- 1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2c Cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 Yellow Zucchini, chopped
- Roma Tomatoes, quartered
- Carrot- Safflower Dressing
- 3/4c Carrot Juice- 2 Lg Carrots+ 1c Water
- 1/4c Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2Tb Safflower Oil
- 1/2tsp Salt
- 1/2tsp Black Pepper
- 1tsp Garlic, minced
- 1/4tsp Mustard Powder
- 1tsp Honey
INSTRUCTIONS
- To make the dressing add the carrots and water to the blend. Blend from low to high till smooth.
- Measure out 3/4c for the recipes.
- Combine all the remaining ingredients with the carrot puree.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Place in a glass jar.
- To make the salad place the spring mix in the base. Top it with red onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini.
- Toss with dressing and serve.
It’s a beautiful salad, and I really like the sound of the dressing.