Easy Spring Salad Recipe

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Bright flavors and vibrant colors are a sign that spring will soon be here.  This Easy Spring Salad Recipe celebrates tender baby greens and fresh seasonal vegetables available at this time of the year.  All tossed together with a homemade salad dressing,  an orange vinaigrette, this is an amazing salad.

An easy salad to prepare, an assortment of leafy greens, tender fresh herbs, crunchy radishes, spring onions, sliced endive, and shaved fennel are combined with red grapes, pistachios, and creamy gorgonzola cheese.  This salad is a combination of bitter and sweet.  Baby arugula, endive, and easter egg radishes bring a sharp bite.  Orange juice and sappy grapes offer a sweet contrast to the biter.

Each bite is different, offering textures that range from crisp and crunchy to creamy and silky smooth.  This spring baby lettuce salad is a great way to welcome warmer weather.  Cool, refreshing, and full of healthy vegetables,  this salad recipe is incredibly easy to prepare.

Types of Lettuce

There are several types of lettuce ranging from the familiar iceberg found in grocery stores to leafy specialty greens.  The tastes run the gamut from watery and mild to slightly sweet to bitter.  Texture plays a big part in preparing salads.  Lettuce can be buttery soft like bibb or crunchy and firm like green romaine.  Here is some information you can use as a reference on the different types of lettuce - https://www.tastingtable.com/716765/types-of-lettuce-and-what-you-can-do-with-them.

What are baby lettuces?

Baby lettuces are small, tender young greens that are harvested before they mature.  They have a delicate flavor and texture, which makes them perfect for salads.  You can often buy assorted spring mix salad greens conveniently boxed together.  However, because of their tenderness, baby lettuces wilt easily.  it is best to use them promptly after purchasing.

Easy Spring Salad Ingredients

baby lettuces - Pick up a box of baby salad greens.  Generally, there is a variety of different lettuces in the box.

baby arugula - Tender and small leaves mix well with the baby lettuces.

Belgian endive - This adds crunch and a little bite.

easter egg radishes - Brightly colored, these pink and purple radishes add a spot of color against the green salad mix.

spring onions - Harvested before they are mature, spring onions look like large scallions.  They taste mild with a touch of sweetness.

tender herbs - Use an assortment of tender herbs such as parsley, dill, and chervil.

grapes - Use red or black grapes for a change of color.  I like to use globe grapes which are seedless, plump, and juicy.

creamy gorgonzola cheese - A little salty with a piquant flavor, creamy gorgonzola plays off the sweet for a delicious combination.

pistachios - Bright, almost neon green, pistachios have a creamy texture.  Use salted nuts to add depth of flavor to the salad.

Orange Vinaigrette Ingredients

fresh orange juice - Check the sweetness of the juice.  You can add up to ½ teaspoon of sugar to the vinaigrette if the juice is sour.

white balsamic vinegar - Adds another sweet flavor to the vinaigrette.

extra virgin olive oil - Use an oil that has a fruity background

salt and pepper - Essential for a tasty vinaigrette.

How to prepare Easy Spring Salad Recipe

• Rinse lettuce in cold water. Using a salad spinner, remove excess water from the lettuce leaves. If you do not have a salad spinner, drain the lettuce on paper towels being careful not to bruise the leaves. Place the lettuce in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Cut the radishes into thin slices.
• Using a mandolin, shave the fennel bulb very thin.  If you do not have a mandolin, you can use a knife to cut the fennel.  
• Cut the spring onions into ¼-inch slices.
• Cut the Belgian endive into ¼-inch slices.

Prepare orange vinaigrette

• Add ¼-cup of fresh orange juice to a small bowl.
• Taste the juice. If it is sour add up to ½-teaspoon of sugar to the juice.
• Whisk in the white balsamic vinegar.
• Add the salt and pepper to the bowl. Let the salt dissolve.
• Whisk in the olive oil until the vinaigrette is combined.

Combine Salad Ingredients

• Combine the washed lettuce with the Belgian endive, baby arugula, and fresh herbs in a large salad bowl.
• Add ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and a pinch of ground black pepper to the bowl. Gently toss to combine.
• Add the radishes, shaved fennel, and spring onions to the bowl.
• Pour about ½ cup of vinaigrette into the bowl. Gently mix the salad to coat everything with the vinaigrette.

Garnish

• Break the creamy gorgonzola into pieces. Sprinkle into the salad.
• Give the pistachios a light chop. This is just to break some of the nuts in half, not into tiny pieces. Toss into the salad.
• Lastly, add the chopped chives.
• Give the salad a final toss to make sure everything is combined with the vinaigrette.

Notes & Substitutions

Easter egg radish substitutions -

• red radishes
• watermelon radishes

Gorgonzola substitutions -

• creamy goat cheese
• taleggio
• brie
• salty feta

Spring onion substitutions -

• scallions or green onions
• ramps

Taste of Spring

This tasty salad is the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring.  The bright flavor, textures, and colors combine to create a delicious spring mix salad perfect for lunch, brunch, or for a dinner party.

An easy recipe to prepare, this Easy Spring Salads Recipe partners the bitter with the sweet and the tender with the crisp.  Juicy red grapes add a pop of syrupy flavor that contrasts against the salty pistachios and the piquant gorgonzola cheese.  No boring flavors here!

If you are looking for spring brunch menu ideas, here is a winner!

Here is another spring salad recipe - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/asparagus-and-fava-bean-panzanella-salad/

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