Spring Salad with a Honey Vinaigrette

My family and I headed to the St. Paul's Farmers Market on Saturday morning and were happy to see all the fresh produce beginning to make its appearance. I snapped up a bunch of different salad greens, green onions, radishes, garlic scapes, strawberries, sugar snap peas, asparagus and a mushroom growing kit (will show you it in my next post, super cool!) along with my usual purchases of meat and eggs from Farm on Wheels. I even got some more beautiful flowers and herbs to add to my growing flower pot garden.  With the live music and the crowds of people milling about, it's truly a great way to start your morning. The earlier you get there the better it is. If you haven't been to the St. Paul's Farmers Market, do your best to do so. It's totally worth the trip and you just might find yourself making it a regular occasion, especially as the season goes on.

What You'll Need:

For the Salad

• A variety of salad greens like lettuce, spinach, pea shoots, radish leaves, arugula, dandelion greens
• Sliced fresh fruit like strawberries, apples and peaches
• Raw sunflower seeds

For the Dressing

• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 5 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1/2 Tsp. sea salt

Getting Started

1. First, mix together your dressing ingredients and if possible let sit for at least 30 minutes before using. This will allow the garlic to add some extra flavor.  If your honey is hard (mine always is), melt it over low heat in a small pot and then add it to your other ingredients.

2. Mix together your salad greens and add your fresh fruit.

3. Toast your sunflower seeds in a small pan over medium high heat then add them to your salad

4. Give your salad dressing a good stir with a fork  (the vinegar and oil like to separate) and then drizzle on your salad

Enjoy this refreshing and light meal. We had this salad last night and enjoyed it with fresh broiled salmon with garlic scapes on top. It's was delicious!