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I never really enjoyed salads at home but I’m starting to realize it was probably because I was making them wrong. Unfortunately, shredded iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes wasn’t really cutting it in encouraging me to eat more vegetables. But then I was introduced to this summer salad with a medley of leafy greens, sweet peppers, fresh cucumbers, and creamy avocados. Sounds good already, doesn’t it? Well just imagine that tossed in a peppery Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette and it just elevates it exponentially. It’s perfect for brunch, lunch, or a side at dinner….oh fine, you can have it for breakfast if you want! Let’s get started with the recipe, shall we?

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Ingredients:

For Salad:

  • 1 English cucumber (or 3 small cucumbers)
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 2 avocados
  • 5 oz. spring mix
  • crumbled feta, topping (optional)

For Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:

  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • salt, to taste

Directions:

I won’t tell you which vegetable to start off with but I, personally, like to start with cucumbers. Do I have a reason? No, not really but it seems like a good place to start a salad. If you are using an English cucumber cut it in half then half again lengthwise. Then chop thinly into quarter slices. Add the cucumbers straight into your Salad Bowl. Dice your tomato and bell pepper and add those into the bowl too. You can go with any color bell pepper but I love the brightness of a yellow or red one and they add just a bit more sweetness to the salad. Lastly, add in the shredded carrots.

Now onto the main filling of this salad – the greenery of course! You can use whatever leafy greens you like best but I enjoy the variety in a Spring Mix and instead of having to buy 15 different types of leaves it’s already washed, varied, and ready for you. I like the sound of that. To prepare the mix I like to stack a 5-10 leaves on top of each other and roll them in half and roughly chop. Add it into the salad bowl and then prepare your avocados.

I learned a fun little hack for avocados that I’m going to share with you….right now. Cut the avocado in half around the pit. To remove the pit, place it between your pointer and middle finger then with your thumb push the avocado behind the pit until it pops out. Congratulations you’ve been hacked

I’m giving you gold, people

Once the pit is removed I like to scoop the avocado out of the peel with a spoon then just dice it up. Drop it into that salad bowl and guess what? You have all them salad ingredients – you are amazing!

Toss your salad with some handy Salad Spoons or Salad Tosser and what I love about this salad is the avocado. When it’s just ripe the creaminess of it coats everything adding it’s own nuttiness and richness onto the salad. The avocado is good but it’s not good enough to not need this delicious Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. You see how I did that transition? Pretty smooth, eh? I know some people are intimidated by making their own salad dressings, but this vinaigrette is actually super simple and it uses fairly simple, everyday pantry items! In a Mason Jar add in all of the vinaigrette ingredients and give it a good shake for a minute until it’s glossy, thick, and completely combined. Yup, it’s actually that easy.

If you prefer your balsamic vinegar to be stronger I would add only 1/2 cup olive oil if you want it a little less strong either add less balsamic or add 3/4 cup olive oil. After you mix everything give it a taste and season with a little salt until it is balanced. Just a little sprinkle works nicely – be sure to mix and taste as you add in salt. When it’s ready add in a few spoons of dressing and toss the salad until coated and then garnish with some crumbled feta, if you’d like – totally up to you.

Summer Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sana Gilani
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Brunch, Lunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

For Salad:

  • 1 English cucumber (or 3 small cucumbers)
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 bell pepper
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 avocados
  • 5 ounces spring mix
  • crumbled feta, topping (optional)

For Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:

  • ½-¾ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cut your cucumber in half and then each half into half lengthwise. Slice into thin quarter slices and add straight into your Salad Bowl.
  • Dice your tomato and bell pepper and add into bowl along with shredded carrots.
  • Stacking 5-10 leaves from spring mix at a time fold in half and roughly chop then add into vegetable mixture.
  • Cut your avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop out with a spoon by running it against the peel. Dice each half into small cubes and add into salad. Lightly toss salad until everything is well combined.
  • In a mason jar add all the Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette ingredients and shake until glossy, thick, and fully combined. Season with a sprinkle of salt at the end until it is to your liking.*

Notes:

  • *If you prefer a stronger balsamic flavor add in ½ cup olive oil if you want a lighter balsamic flavor add half the amount of balsamic vinegar or increase the amount of olive oil to 3/4 cup.
Keyword Salad, Summer Salad

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