The Easter Feast is around the corner and with the spiral sliced ham, cheesy potatoes, mashed carrots, hot cross buns, etc., there are enough carbs to put us all in a coma. So how about a green salad? Something different than the run-of-the-mill green salad...something crunchy, delicious and healthy! Yes, it's really me, occasionally I do make healthy food and this is one of those times. Because between bites of Potatoes Nan-a and Carrot Cake, filling a fork with beautiful green, crisp veggies is the only way to keep from nodding off into the souffle.
Green peas, asparagus and sugar snap peas provide some of the crunch in this salad. But they don't go into the salad raw, they are blanched until crisp tender, then drained and rinsed with cold water so their color stays bright and green.
More crunch comes with celery, cucumber and green onion but that's not where the fun ends, nope, there's creaminess that comes with avocado and the surprise of mint. The perfect salad for Easter or any spring-time feast!
The salad is dressed with a zippy lemon dressing, which makes it even more Spring-ier! This salad pairs well with everything and the blanching of the veggies and the dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead so everything can be ready to serve when you are.
Olive oil, lemon juice, zest, minced shallots, salt, pepper and Dijon...it's bright, slightly tart and the perfect balance for the fresh veggies. This is also a great vinaigrette for any other green salad you might make so you'll want to keep this dressing recipe handy...trust me!
Yes, those are bacon bits...while I don't normally put them into this salad, I had to add them because I served this salad with an asparagus tart and the mister was up in arms about all the vegetables! Where's the beef??? Bacon bits satisfied his carnivorous needs...you might say they soothed the savage beast. So while they're not part of the recipe, you can add them if your beast needs a bit more than just greens!
Truly Green Salad - Adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2 1/2-inch pieces
12 oz. sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 of a large English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 green leaf lettuce or romaine leaves, rinsed, dried and torn into pieces
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves
1 firm, ripe avocado, cubed
bacon bits, optional
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add green peas, asparagus and sugar snap peas; boil until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water; drain well. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Put blanched vegetables into a serving bowl. Add cucumber, celery, green onion, lettuce, parsley, mint and cubed avocado. Add bacon bits if using. Pour dressing over top and toss gently. Serves 8.
Since this is Easter week, I'll leave you with this quote - one of my favorites by Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Wishing you a miraculous week!
