Spring Green Salad Honey Mustard (Printable)

Crisp spring greens combined with honey mustard dressing and crunchy toasted almonds.

# Components:

→ Salad

01 - 4 cups mixed spring greens (arugula, baby spinach, watercress, baby lettuce)
02 - 1 cup snap peas, trimmed and sliced
03 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
04 - 4 radishes, thinly sliced
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
07 - 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

→ Honey Mustard Dressing

08 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
09 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
10 - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
11 - 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
12 - 1.5 teaspoons honey
13 - 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Steps:

01 - Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
03 - In a large salad bowl, combine the spring greens, snap peas, cucumber, radishes, chives, and parsley.
04 - Drizzle the honey mustard dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top just before serving for maximum crunch and freshness.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like spring tastes, if that makes sense, with layers of freshness and crunch that feel lighter than air.
  • The honey mustard dressing works magic on any greens you have on hand, so it's endlessly forgiving.
  • You can make it in less time than it takes to order delivery, which means you'll actually cook it on weeknight evenings.
02 -
  • If you dress the salad too early, the greens will wilt and the almonds will soften, so timing matters more than you think with something this simple.
  • The dressing needs to taste slightly stronger than you'd eat it on its own, because the wet greens dilute it, and this realization changed how I season everything.
03 -
  • Toast the almonds the day before if you're cooking for a crowd, but store them in an airtight container because they're oil-rich and go stale if they sit exposed.
  • If you have a preference for how sharp or mild your dressing is, adjust the mustard and vinegar slightly, but remember that balance is the whole architecture here.
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