This California Spring Market Salad is a bounty of antioxidants, crunch, fiber and feel good flavors. With sweet strawberries, buttery avocado, crunchy maple-toasted almonds or walnuts, your choice of leafy greens, optional skillet beans and my fave maple-mustard dressing on top. If you are looking for a lovely spring meal that makes you feel nourished, cheery and taken care of, this is it!…
Spring Salad
Have you started craving salads yet? We have! This market salad is one to make for spring and summer. Shoutout to all the farmer’s who make this salad possible here in California and beyond.
As the temperatures warm, both salads and smoothies just taste better. And with so many rainbow-colored ingredients to choose from at stores and farmer’s markets, a salad like this almost makes itself when you are properly stocked up.
Farmer’s Market strawberries, avocados and fluffy greens fill this bowl.
I love adding beans to really make this feel like a meal and keep me nourished. This bowl could easily be lunch or dinner.
Candied Nuts and Greens
The secret ingredient to this market salad: those warm and toasty, sweet and savory candied nuts! They take just a few minutes to make in a skillet and add so much flavor and texture to a salad. I feel like they bring out the yumminess of greens and veggies like the broccoli in this bowl.
Some additional recipes for this salad:
My super yummy and easy: skillet beans recipe.
And my ideal dressing for this salad: maple mustard dressing recipe.
California Spring Market Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup broccoli florets, gently steamed – optional
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 half avocado, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, blueberries raisins or Dates
- 1 cup skillet beans, see notes – optional
Candied Nuts
- ½ cup sliced almonds, or walnuts
- pinch sea salt, or fleu de sel
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Warm a skillet over high heat. Add the nuts. Toast for one minute. Add the maple syrup. Shake pan to distribute syrup over the nuts. Cook for one minute then turn off the heat. Sprinkle sea salt over top and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the greens, berries, avocado, dried fruit and optional broccoli.
- Whisk together the dressing.
- Cook the skillet beans – if making – beans are optional.
- Add a few spoonfuls of dressing to the salad bowl and toss. Add more to taste. Fold in the skillet beans.
- Add the mixed salad to serving bowls and top with the candied nuts and additional beans if using. Serve! Add toasted bakery bread to serve.
Notes
nutrition estimate | per serving
