My Favorite House Salad

This nourishing House Salad is crowded with fresh beautiful organic produce like asparagus, beets, peas, blueberries, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, with added chickpeas and Marcona almonds to make it meal-worthy. 

One of the things I really love about making this tossed salad is that I can prep the ingredients ahead of time.  The beets, asparagus and peas are lightly steamed, so I’ll prep them then chill them in the refrigerator until I’m ready to pull the salad together.  As for the vinaigrette recipe, it’s a simple one and comes together in a pinch.

This is my favorite house salad recipe!  It’s gorgeous and delicious and it features healthy whole foods rich with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber and plant protein.  You’ll want to add this house salad to your healthy eating plan to boost your immunity, protect your heart and aid with weight loss goals. 

HOUSE SALAD RECIPE

The list of salad ingredients is a versatile one.  I’ve provided some variations below for you in case you’re not a fan of any of these ingredients, or if you just want to switch things up a bit now and then.  

• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, core removed, rinsed, dried and chopped
• 1 cup beets, peeled and steamed
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups asparagus, steamed and cut
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, steamed
• 1 small Persian cucumber, chopped
• 3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small avocado, peeled, drizzled with lemon juice and chopped
• 1/2 cup Marcona almonds
• herb vinaigrette

HOW TO MAKE SALAD

This tossed salad recipe comes together in about 20 minutes.  It can feed 4-6 if serving as a vegan main, or 6-8 if serving as a starter.

Make dressing:  Put the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic and chopped herbs in a mason jar and seal the lid.  Shake well.  You can also add the ingredients to a blender and pulse a few times to blend.

Steam asparagus, beets and peas:  Remove woody ends of asparagus and steam in a steamer on the stovetop.  Separately steam the beets and then the peas.

Chop lettuce and cucumber:  Chop lettuce and place in salad spinner colander and rinse under cold water then spin to dry.  Add lettuce and chopped cucumber to large bowl.  

Toss ingredients:  Add chopped avocado, asparagus, beets, peas, chickpeas, almonds, cucumber and tomato to lettuce and toss.  Drizzle about 1/4 – 1/2 cup mixed dressing over the ingredients and lightly toss again.  

VARIATIONS

• Corn (fresh or frozen) – add corn in addition to or instead of peas
• Broccoli or shaved Brussels sprouts – the asparagus works really well in this salad, but you can sub it with broccoli or Brussels sprouts if you prefer
• Crumbled hardboiled egg – adding crumbled hardboiled egg adds protein and makes this salad a little more substantial and filling
• Grapes instead of blueberries – I love the blueberries in this salad, but grapes make a delicious sweet addition as well
• Regular almonds, macadamia nuts or pecans instead of Marcona almonds – I love Marcona almonds, but feel free to add regular almonds, macadamia nuts or pecans instead
• Citrus vinaigrette instead of herb vinaigrette – I’ve tossed this house salad with my citrus vinaigrette and the hint of orange adds a nice pop of flavor to this salad

HOW TO COOK FRESH ASPARAGUS

Trim the woody tough ends off of the asparagus.  Cut the asparagus spears in half.  Place asparagus in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 5-7 minutes (depending on thickness of asparagus spears) or until the asparagus is barely fork tender.  Stop the asparagus from cooking further by placing in a bowl with ice, or place in a bowl and set in the freezer for a minute or two.

HOW TO COOK FRESH BEETS

Cut the beet stems away and discard.  Place beets in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 20 minutes or until beets are fork tender.  Cool beets then using a paper towel rub away the peel of the beets and cut into bite-sized cubes.   You can cut the beets in quarters to reduce amount of steaming time.

BEST SALAD RECIPES FOR DINNER

• Everyday Tossed Salad
• Kale Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Everyday Detox Salad
• Immune Boosting Berry Arugula Salad

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Yield: 6 servings

My Favorite House Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This nourishing House Salad Salad is crowded with fresh beautiful organic produce like asparagus, beets, peas, blueberries, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, and I've added in some chickpeas and Marcona almonds to make it meal-worthy. 

Ingredients

• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, core removed, rinsed, dried and chopped
• 1 cup beets, steamed, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups asparagus, steamed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, steamed
• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 small Persian cucumber, chopped
• 3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small avocado, peeled, drizzled with lemon juice (to prevent browning) and chopped
• 1/2 cup Marcona almonds
• herb vinaigrette

For the Herb Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon pure clover honey (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3-5 tablespoons fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, chives), finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse, spin and chop lettuce
2. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, steamed beets, asparagus, peas, garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomatoes, blueberries, avocado and Marcona almonds.
3. Gently toss to combine the ingredients.
4. Drizzle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette over the salad, then toss gently to coat the salad with the dressing.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more vinaigrette if desired.
6. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.


For the Herb Vinaigrette

Place all of the ingredients into a mason jar and shake well to combine.