Salad Daze

It's been a few crazy weeks around here. I have been juggling some new projects, taking day trips to work on a new ranch project (where I load up on raw milk, cream and eggs), meetings, meeting and more meetings, phone calls, lunches, schlepping and just keeping up with everything else. So now that you know where I have been, you can forgive my absence?

Though I have not been blogging about what's been happening in my kitchen, I have been cooking (I even tried making my own butter, but ended up with a little bit of butter and a lot of buttermilk--look for a buttermilk recipe to surface next) because, honestly, the market is filled with some of my favorite spring flavors and textures. Snow peas, carrots, sugar snap peas, radishes, herbs, green onions, shallots and lettuce.

These are the ingredients dreams are made of. At least recipes that show up in my dreams, and I hope yours, too. It's truly beautiful to transition from winter's hearty root vegetables and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts to a raw, vibrant salad filled with gorgeous colors and textures tossed with an herbacious dill vinaigrette.

Made with ingredients at their peak of freshness, this spring salad with inspire you to shop at your local farmers market and create menus around what's available.

Buen provecho!

Spring Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
The Cowgirl Gourmet landed this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, thekitchn.com which I then slightly adapted

Print recipe

When spring has sprung, toss this easy and healthy salad together. It would pair beautifully with grilled meat or a cup of soup for lighter fare. Either way, I assure you that this salad will be a winner at your family table. Crunchy, fresh and dill-icious, it's a great way to celebrate spring.

Serves 2 as entrees and 4 as sides

2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 ounces)
8 radishes of choice (Easter egg, watermelon or French breakfast), thinly sliced
3 carrots, thinly sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced crosswise into bite-size pieces
A few stalks of the celery heart, sliced crosswise into bite-size pieces
1 large Romaine heart, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, sliced (optional)
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and salt well so the salt dissolves. Stir in the shallot and let sit for a few minutes. Add the dill and mustard and stir well to combine. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until the ingredients are evenly coated.

Serve and top with sliced avocado, or not. Your choice. Sprinkle with a little Maldon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Spring is here!