The lettuce I planted back in early May is growing with a vengeance in the garden, and it’s all I can do to stay on top of the weekly harvests. And while true summer begins next week, I’m dubbing this recipe Simple Summer Salad because it’s endlessly riff-able with whatever summer produce you have from your garden, CSA, farmers market, or grocery store. Take the below as a suggestion and mix and match vegetables, herbs, cheese, and proteins. The dressing itself can be varied, too! No ACV? Use red wine vinegar or balsamic. Mix up the herbs. Make it your own and take the below as a suggestion, not something written in stone.
I planted so many new-to-me varieties, along with old stalwarts of the garden, so the salads I’ve ben churning out of the kitchen are chock-a-block with 10+ varieties of greens usually. A sampling of what’s growing in the greens department of the garden this June:
- Simpson Elite
- Continuity
- Italienischer
- Skyphos
- Black Hawk
- Bauer
- Salanova
- Forellenschluss
- Parris Island Cos
While I love new recipes in general, when the produce is bursting at the seams, I have a hard time following dedicated recipes – instead, I like to use whatever is freshest and at its peak. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to dine at The Alna Store in Alna, Maine, and one of the appetizers was this unreal salad comprised of red gem lettuce, almond milk champagne vinaigrette, toasted almonds, garlic honey, shaved pecorino, and topped with pansies. It was bright, fresh, and tasted like what I imagine eating sunshine to be like. Armed with my own harvest of fresh greens this week, I set out to make a salad inspired by The Alna Store’s salad. Enjoy this Simple Summer Salad!
Simple Summer Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 large head of lettuce or a mix of your cut-and-come-again greens washed and chopped
- 1 cup radishes thinly sliced
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice I did a mix of Parmesan and sharp cheddar
- Handful of pansies optional
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp fresh herbs such as chives, dill, or parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Prepare the salad
- In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, sliced radishes, and cucumber.
- Toss everything together gently to mix.
Make the dressing
- In a small bowl or a jar, whisk together the Greek yogurt, olive oil, honey, apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, lemon juice, and fresh herbs until well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the flavors if necessary by adding more vinegar for acidity, honey for sweetness, or lemon juice.
Assemble the salad
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Start with a few tablespoons and add more as needed, tossing the salad gently to coat all the ingredients evenly.
- Top the salad with grated cheese, if using.
- Serve immediately and enjoy the fresh, crisp flavors of your garden-fresh salad.
Nutrition
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