This light spring salad makes a bright and fresh side dish when the weather starts to warm up. Here, a bed of tender mixed greens and fresh mint leaves is piled high with thinly sliced radishes, jammy strawberries, and refreshing cucumber to create a tantalizing trifecta of toppers. A creamy lemon dressing—which gets its velvety texture from silken tofu—adds a delightful pop of citrus to tie everything together. Serve this up alongside a bowl of gazpacho or a stacked veggie sandwich for a delicious meal that celebrates springtime produce.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
By Laura Marzen, RD, LD ,
Ingredients
- ¼ of a 12.3-oz. package firm silken- style tofu (⅓ cup)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallot
- 3 cups fresh arugula
- 3 cups torn leaf lettuce or fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- 3 cups strawberries, quartered
- 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
- ½ cup chopped English cucumber
- ¼ cup crumbled firm silken-style tofu (optional)
Instructions
- For dressing, in a medium bowl combine the first five ingredients (through pepper) and 2 tablespoons water. Blend with an immersion blender or in a mini food processor until smooth. Stir in shallot. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to let flavors blend.
- For salad, in a large bowl toss together arugula, lettuce, and mint. Divide greens among serving plates. Top with strawberries, radishes, and cucumber. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle with crumbled tofu (if using).
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (2¾ cups salad + 3 tablespoons dressing), 80 calories, 14 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 2 g total fat, 101 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 7 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
The salad ingredients were a lovely combo, but the dressing didn’t cut it for me. Perhaps caramelized onion, or roasted garlic verses the shallot? Perhaps I did something wrong, but that specific amount of shallot added to the tofu made it extremely bitter. I like the tofu being added w/o oil base however. I will continue to work with it. I really do like the no oil, but this didn’t make it for me personally. Thank you!