"Hang on to spring" salad
Another post that will hopefully bring spring at your table. Year after year I sit and watch as spring is getting shorter and shorter here and that’s something that doesn’t make me a happy girl. I even expect not to have any spring at all soon and just pop into summer without this wonderful “introductory” season. It’s like I can feel these spring days getting fewer and fewer. I for one have always preferred the shy warmth of spring over the melting heat of summer but the weather doesn’t care about my preferences so I’m determined to enjoy spring until its last shy sunshine. And I’m starting with the “hang on to spring” salad.
Today’s post is my second contribution to the Nutriferia Roundup: Springtime salads. Don’t forget to participate until the 17th.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- • 5 spring onions (or scallions)
- • 1 English cucumber
- • 2 green garlics (immature garlics – leaves and stems)
- • 1 Tbsp fresh dill – chopped
- • 2 medium tomatoes
- • Crumbled Feta (to taste) + 2 ½ Tbsp for the dressing
- • Red cabbage – shredded (3x both hands hollow)
- • 2 handfuls of thinly sliced fennel bulb
- • 4 tsp grape seed oil
- • 4 tsp dry white wine
- • 4 olives – thinly sliced
- • The juice of half a lime
- • The juice of one Nova mandarin
Directions
Wash the vegetables and then make the dressing so that all those flavours will have enough time to combine. In a small glass bowl mix well wine, juices, oil, olives and crumbled Feta then put aside.
Finely slice cucumber and fennel, thickly slice green garlics and spring onions and mix well with the shredded red cabbage and dill. Add the dressing and give it another good mix. Cut tomatoes into quarters and then halve the quarters and place over the salad. Sprinkle with crumbled Feta and serve immediately. It’s always good to make this salad just before you serve it so that taste and texture are at their best.
You might have noticed that I didn’t add any salt or sugar. That’s because I was simply trying to add these two via the dressing ingredients. I used olives and Feta for the salt and the mandarin juice for its citrus sweetness and it worked pretty well for me. Still if you feel like adding salt or sugar please do so when making the dressing.
Hope I didn’t bore you all with just another salad post.
Bon appétit :)!
Hi Lore, what a wonderful spring salad. Today I had a similar salad for lunch but my main ingredient was spinach.
12 April 2008 at 15:27Mmmm sounds good!
12 April 2008 at 17:16This does look like a wonderful spring salad! Delicious!
12 April 2008 at 17:44The colors of this salad are just perfect and so heart warming! I don’t know how to explain but it makes me really really happy!
12 April 2008 at 23:25happy weekend
12 April 2008 at 23:31I too prefer mild spring weather to the sweltering heat of summer. The problem is that, here, spring means lots and lots of rain, and I’m not so crazy about the rain.
Another delicious looking salad. It’s so bright and colorful!
13 April 2008 at 00:05Looks delish - so simple and yet so flavorful. Theres no such thing as ‘Just another salad’ on your blag!
smita
13 April 2008 at 01:00This looks scrumptious!!
13 April 2008 at 03:11It looks so bright and beautiful. Lovely colors.
13 April 2008 at 05:03My first thought: Beautiful!
13 April 2008 at 09:51It looks delicious. I love that you put dill in it.
ohhh i think i want to submit a salad to the nufeteria roundup too! crunchy looking salad you got there!
13 April 2008 at 09:53Your salad Looks so colourful and refreshing. How does the taste of grape seed oil like, compared to olive oil?
13 April 2008 at 12:14Lore, you could never bore me with a salad that looks so irrestible as that one! Look at those colors and I can hear the crunch!
14 April 2008 at 00:16I love spring too, and am always a bit surprised to wake up one day and find the heat of summer has melted the delicate springtime away. But while it’s pink and fresh and growing out there, I’ll be very happy.
14 April 2008 at 00:52Hi Lore, this has all the beautiful colours of a wonderful spring salad! Looks delsih
Rosie x
14 April 2008 at 15:17Hi Lore-
15 April 2008 at 01:22Your salad is so vibrant and bright. One of the best parts of spring is the new vegtables.
Thanks for telling me about nuteferia!
Great job with the fennel addition. You can never go wrong with English cucumbers either.
15 April 2008 at 03:04Lore–what a beautiful salad! I can almost feel the sun shining, even though it’s past my bedtime.
15 April 2008 at 06:45Lore thank you for this wonderful second entry!
17 April 2008 at 09:44Ivy - Thank you! Baby spinach is one of my favourite salad ingredient. Yummy!
Chriesi - I assure you it tastes just as good.
Deborah - Thanks!
Tartelette - I’m really glad to “hear” that
! I wasn’t happy with the pictures, but at least their colours are good.
Carmen - Thanks! I was a rather busy weekend :). Hope you’re having a great week.
Vicarious Foodie - Awe
I’m not much of a rain fan either. you can always create bright spring on a plate ;). Thanks!
Smita, Saralynn, Joy - Thank you :)!
Emiline - Thanks! I enjoy using fresh dill in salads as it brings such a great complementary flavour.
Lina - Yes, please do participate, you can still submit your salad today. Thanks!
Retno Prihadana - Thanks! The grape seed oil has a much more lighter taste than the olive oil. I use them both, but sometimes prefer one over the other.
Deb - :)) Crunch-crunch. Thanks :)!
Annemarie - Yeap! Hopefully spring will hang in there for a few days more :).
Rosie - Thanks! I equally enjoyed the colours and the crunchy bites
Kim - Thank you! I agree, there’s nothing like springy fresh greens.
Chef Erik - Thanks! Fennel had a distinctive favour and did quite a nice job.
Chou - Thanks :)!
Linda - I can’t wait to see the roundup.
17 April 2008 at 10:16How could anyone be bored by this salad post? I love your use of vivid colors in the salad which makes it look sooooo inviting. Plus, often the more vivid the color of the food the higher the vitamin content, which would make this salad very good for you.
19 April 2008 at 13:04Julie - Thanks, that’s very sweet of you to say :). I could always choose a colourful salad over the most inviting dessert. My body must be taking over my mind and make me wish for something that’s good for me
23 April 2008 at 22:10