Spring Green Salad
This Spring Green Salad is an easy, healthy gluten free recipe to celebrate the flavors of spring. Great for Easter or just a weeknight dinner, it uses asparagus, peas, and pistachios for crunch. A simple honey dijon dressing recipe is also included!
Servings 6
Calories 143kcal
Ingredients
Dressing:
- zest of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey warmed until in liquid form
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
Salad:
- ½ cup shelled roasted and salted pistachios
- 10 asparagus stalks
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 8 leaves green leaf lettuce about half a large head
Instructions
- Measure out the dressing ingredients with measuring spoons and pour them into a small- or medium-sized bowl, beating them together swiftly with a whisk until well combined. Alternatively, you could pour all the ingredients into a small mason jar, seal it, and shake to combine. Once done, set aside.
- If the pistachios aren’t already shelled, do that first as it will take the most time. To do so, simply pry apart the shell with your fingers. Otherwise, move on to cooking the asparagus.
- In a large pot, pour in about an inch of water and place a steamer basket into the pot but above the water. Place the pot over medium heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer.
- While you wait for the water to boil, prep the asparagus. Wash the asparagus, then using a large sharp knife and cutting board, cut off between 1.5 to 2 inches of the thicker, woody end of the asparagus. Then cut them into roughly 1 inch pieces.
- Put the asparagus in the basket and cover, cooking for 5 minutes or until asparagus is bright green and slightly tender.
- While asparagus is cooking, cook the frozen peas according to package directions, typically pouring a small amount of water into a small pot and cooking for 4 to 5 minutes, covered, over medium heat. Drain and set aside when peas are done cooking.
- Once asparagus is cooked, remove it (still in the steamer basket) and run it under cold water for 10 to 15 seconds to keep it from over cooking. Then drain and set aside.
- Wash the lettuce leaves, dry them off with a towel or in a salad spinner, then cut them into pieces with the large sharp knife and cutting board. Alternatively, you can tear them up into small pieces. Place them in a large bowl. Put the pistachios, peas, and asparagus in with the lettuce.
- Whisk the dressing again if it separated, then pour half the dressing over the lettuce mixture. Toss with a pair of tongs (or other utensils) to combine. If you like more dressing on your salad, pour remaining dressing over the lettuce mixture and toss to combine again. Serve immediately.
Notes
Don’t bother with the pistachios that aren’t open - those you’ll have to either throw away or smash to get to the pistachio nut.
To determine where to cut the asparagus, simply bend one of the ends until it snaps off. This is where the tender part starts to become woody and where you want to trim each piece. Typically this is no more than a 2 inch piece.
You want to make sure every ingredient of the salad is dried off after rinsing or cooking. If not, you’ll end up with an watery salad and the dressing won’t stick to anything.
To determine where to cut the asparagus, simply bend one of the ends until it snaps off. This is where the tender part starts to become woody and where you want to trim each piece. Typically this is no more than a 2 inch piece.
You want to make sure every ingredient of the salad is dried off after rinsing or cooking. If not, you’ll end up with an watery salad and the dressing won’t stick to anything.
Nutrition
Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 233mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1768IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg