Spring Greens Honey Mustard (Printable)

Tender spring greens combined with crunchy vegetables and a tangy honey mustard drizzle.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad

01 - 4 cups spring greens mix (arugula, baby spinach, mâche, or similar)
02 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small radish, thinly sliced
05 - 1 small carrot, julienned or grated
06 - ¼ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, optional
07 - ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, optional

→ Honey Mustard Dressing

08 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
09 - 2 tablespoons honey
10 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
11 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
12 - ½ teaspoon sea salt
13 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until smooth and emulsified.
02 - Place spring greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radish, and carrot in a large salad bowl.
03 - Drizzle honey mustard dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat all ingredients evenly.
04 - Sprinkle with toasted nuts and crumbled feta cheese if using.
05 - Serve immediately as a fresh side or light lunch.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in fifteen minutes, which means you can have a restaurant-quality salad on the table before you've even finished your coffee.
  • The dressing is balanced enough that it works as a wake-up call for your taste buds without overpowering the tender greens.
  • You can build it with whatever vegetables you have on hand, so it's never the same salad twice.
02 -
  • Dress your salad right before eating it, not an hour before—greens will wilt and lose their delicate texture if they sit in dressing too long, which taught me the hard way that timing matters in cooking just like it does in life.
  • Make extra dressing and keep it in a jar in your fridge because it gets better as flavors marry together, and it works beautifully on roasted vegetables, grilled fish, or even as a dip for bread.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts instead of buying pre-toasted ones—the difference is the difference between a good salad and one that makes people ask for the recipe.
  • Taste the dressing before it touches the greens and adjust the seasoning because what works in a bowl might need tweaking when it coats your vegetables, and confident seasoning is what separates memorable food from forgettable food.
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