Spring Medley Garden Salad with Dijon Ranch Herb Vinaigrette, Spiced Nuts and Blue Cheese Crumbles
A medley of fresh veggies, including watermelon radishes, cucumber, red radishes, English peas, snow peas, steamed celery root, avocado, artichoke hearts, fresh dill and spring baby greens tossed with Dijon Ranch vinaigrette and topped with blue cheese crumbles and spiced nuts.
Ingredients
Dijon-Ranch Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 4 tsp. Ranch Revolution herb blend (available on our website)
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salad Fixings
- 4 spears heart of palm
- 1 medium celery root (peeled, steamed, cooled and cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1/2 cup English peas (raw)
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 16 snow peas
- 1 watermelon radish (peeled and thinly sliced, then quartered)
- 8 radishes (thinkly sliced)
- 8 canned artichoke hearts (or marinated artichoke hearts)
- 1 large firm avocado (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 8 sprigs fresh dill
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1 tsp. Ranch Revolution herb blend (to sprinkle over salad before tossing with dressing)
Spiced Nuts
- 1 cup pecan or walnut halves (or both)
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
Dijon-Ranch Vinaigrette
- Add Dijon to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add Ranch Revolution and both vinegars. Shake well or stir with a whisk to blend. Add olive oil and shake well.
Spiced Nuts
- Mix spices with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add nuts and toss to coat. Cook until nuts are beginning to brown and become aromatic. Sprinkle sugar over nuts and toss well. Heat just until sugar melts and remove from heat.
- Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over nuts and toss to distribute. Cool completely. Store in an air-tight container. Can be made several days ahead of time.
Assembling Salad
- Arrange all of the veggies on a platter or in a salad bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp. Ranch Revolution over salad. Toss well with Dijon Ranch Herb Vinaigrette. Sprinkle blue cheeses and nuts over the top. Serve and enjoy!
