Ten minutes and a trusty vegetable peeler are all you need to make this easy veggie ribbon salad. Tossed in a homemade dressing and studded with crunchy almonds and tangy feta cheese, this colorful salad is the perfect potluck dish!
You might remember that last year I finished the remodel on my dad’s old house and moved onto my very own six acres. I gave myself permission to slack off a bit the first year, because I wanted to get to know the land and adjust to country living before trying my hand at growing a garden.
There’s a small orchard on the property that produces apples and plums (cherries, too, except the birds get to them before I do), a few grape vines, and of course plenty of blackberry bushes to keep me occupied.
I love foraging on the property during the summer, but I’ve been positively craving a garden of my very own. Luckily, there’s an irrigated garden plot on the property that’s begging to be cultivated.
I’ve officially run out of slacking-off-time and now I have about a week to figure out how to fix the irrigation pump (which pulls water from the pond), replace a tire valve on my tractor (one of the tires keeps leaking air), use the tractor to till the garden (it’s more than 1,000 square feet), and get my plants in the ground.
I’ve also been attempting to compost for the past few months with the intention of working the organic material into the garden soil, however I haven’t looked into the composter since I got back from China about a month ago and honestly I’m afraid of what I might find in there. I’m not hugely fond of creepy-crawly things and I’m worried I didn’t get the mix of “green” versus “brown” compost additions right.
Country living…. the struggle is real. Not that I’m complaining, because living out here is like living in my own little slice of paradise, but let me remind you that when I moved out here a year ago I didn’t even know how to use an electric drill.
Now that I’ve worked my way through a gigantic remodel, the flood of 2015, and learning how to (sort of) operate my tractor, I feel like I’ve come a long way.
I can still barely keep my houseplants alive, but I’m going to force myself to develop a green thumb and do my best to make use of this beautiful land I live on.
I’m already fantasizing about harvesting carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, and salad greens. If I could grow some feta cheese and almonds out there, I’d have everything I need to make this incredible 10 minute veggie ribbon salad!
It will still be a few months before I see the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor, but these ingredients are easy to find all year long.
I decided to make my own dressing using sweet basil leaf – to me, the flavor tastes simultaneously more subtle, yet more concentrated, than fresh basil.
When I shared my vegan potsticker recipe, I told you about my obsession with high-quality herbs and spices and why I love working with Frontier Co-op. Together we work on projects that support cooking with a purpose and a commitment to quality, sustainability, and ethical trade.
In my potsticker post, I talked a bit about what it means for me to cook with purpose in terms of sharing food and culture stories from around the world. I think it’s so important to use high-quality ingredients and to do our best to know where those ingredients come from. I can’t wait to spend the summer cooking with vegetables from my own garden!
I know I’ll be making variations of this salad all summer long – the dressing will taste good on just about anything! It’s made from dried sweet basil leaf, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar. So simple, yet so delicious!
Here’s the Recipe!
10 Minute Veggie Ribbon Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Dried Sweet Basil Leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon Frontier Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground Frontier Black Peppercorns
For the Salad
- 1 yellow summer squash
- 1 zucchini
- 2 small carrots
- 1/4 cup roasted almonds - roughly chopped
- 3 cups arugula leaves
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in small bowl and set aside.
- Cut the ends off of the squash, zucchini, and carrots. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the vegetables into thin ribbons.
- Place the veggie ribbons and arugula into a large bowl. Toss with the prepared dressing. Top with almonds and feta. Serve at room temperature.
NOTES
Nutrition
