While the first day of spring was officially March 20th, here in Seattle (along with many other parts of the country), it sure hasn’t felt like it. We recorded record rains for the month of March.
But this past week when my daffodils bloomed in full color, I could feel that spring magic and smell it in the air. If you look closely you can see the sun shining on the tips of the blooms!
In the spirit of spring, and impending summer shorts and swimsuit weather, I’ve compiled a collection of my go-to salad recipes to share with you.
As the farmers markets come into swing with garden fresh vegetables and fruits, asparagus is topping my list of spring vegetables. Just this week I paid $1.99 per pound compared to the typical $3.99 – $5.99. It’s a perfect match for the kale in this Mediterranean Asparagus Salad with Baby Kale, Sun Dried Tomato, and Avocado.
This red chard salad with chunks of salmon, grapes, goat cheese and a skinny lemon and basil vinaigrette is a heart healthy meal on a plate.
Quinoa has become an ingredient of choice in my house. I can cook up a pot and freeze it in portion sized containers to toss into a bowl of colorful beets.
Farro, a nutty grain I bought at Trader Joe’s, makes an appearance with artichokes and my beloved asparagus in this lunchtime meal.
PCC Emerald City Salad
You’ll find this Emerald City salad with wild rice, kale and chard is on any salad recipe list I pull together. There’s a reason why PCC Markets sells this salad by the bucket load!
Chicken and Apple Salad
I admit that kale and asparagus might not be kid friendly vegetables, so why not toss apples and chunks of chicken with a sweet Dijon dressing. I’m guessing you could get the family on board with this.
If beef is your thing, and my husband would agree with you, a crunchy, spicy, Asian cabbage slaw is the perfect side.
I’m a big fan of broccoli, and fast becoming of lover of cauliflower, so why not combine the two with crunchy pepitas, sweet dried cranberries and a tangy dressing to make this Sweet and Crunchy Cruciferous Veggie Salad with Cauliflower and Broccoli?
Hmmmm – what’s missing from this list of salad recipes?
A pasta salad of course!
You won’t find an abundance of pasta recipes on this blog. Typically they can be more calories than I can afford, but I couldn’t resist this gingery pasta salad with fun noodles from Pappardelle’s.
That’s it for today.
Check out your local farmers markets if you have them available to you at Local Harvest. It’s the most economical and freshest way to enjoy the spring and summer salad season.
Have a good week everyone!
~Kristi
