This easily customizable spring garden salad is packed with any and all fresh veggies of your choosing, and is topped with salty + flavorful pistachios plus a protein of your choice. Top with my go-to dark balsamic vinaigrette, and enjoy throughout the spring as an easy lunch option! 

Happy Spring!

Although, if you live in SE Michigan like me, winter seemed to take a pass on this year. No tears of sorrow coming from this household!

The sun is shining (slightly) more often, the birds are chirping, Easter is coming… and, of course, spring salads are abounding!

While today’s blog post features a loose “recipe” for my spring garden salad, this salad can be easily adjusted to whatever your specific taste preferences may be, and/or whatever you have in your fridge right now!

Reading on, we will also chat about tempeh (what even is that??), the health benefits of beets and pistachios, AND my pro salad-making tips. 

Up first — time to talk tempeh!

Tempeh is a fermented food made from soybeans. It has somewhat of a nuttier/grainier taste and texture compared to tofu.

As a vegetarian protein option, I prefer to eat tempeh over tofu, not only for the taste, but also for some of the additional nutritional benefits found in tempeh.

Tempeh contains more fiber and protein compared to tofu, and I consider tempeh to be more of a “whole food” because it contains the whole soybean (in contrast to tofu). The fermented soybeans in tempeh are also more easily digested than the more processed version of soybeans found in tofu.

You may be wondering, is tempeh healthy, given that it is made from soybeans?

The controversy with soy generally comes from the fact that soy contains phytoestrogens, naturally-existing compounds similar to the hormone estrogen. Thus, some people worry that eating too much soy will lead to a greater likelihood of breast cancer.

Based on the research I have done in the past, there is no concerning evidence to support consuming soy-based foods in moderation. In fact, in countries like Japan, where soy-based foods are typically eaten in a much greater quantity, there are lower breast cancer rates compared to countries like the U.S.

The research indicates that eating soy can be problematic when eaten in more extreme quantities, such as through supplemental or capsule form.

I personally choose not to drink soy milk, but have no concern with enjoying foods like tempeh and edamame once in a while.

When preparing, tempeh takes on whatever flavor you choose to marinate it in, making it a very versatile protein option. Lately I have been into this sticky orange tempeh w/ veggies, and would also love to try these recipes for BBQ tempeh quinoa salad or spicy sesame peanut tempeh.

Note: If you are following a gluten-free diet, know that some brands of tempeh do contain gluten (such as the organic tempeh at Trader Joe’s which is made with barley).

Nutritional benefits of beets and pistachios:

I absolutely love beets! How about you??

I typically buy the organic canned beets at Whole Foods to keep my beet-eating as simple as it gets. Costco also has a great pickled beet option.

Beets are particularly rich in folate, manganese, fiber, and antioxidants.

While most commonly red, they also come in purple, white, and gold varieties!

Our other salad star of the day, pistachios, are a great source vitamin B6, potassium, phosphorus, and copper. One ounce of pistachios provides 28% of the daily value for vitamin B6 and 40% for copper.

Pistachios are a great addition to a salad, or a tasty snack on their own! I love to make a DIY trail mix with salted pistachios, salted almonds, dark chocolate chips, and dried cherries or chopped dates.

Pro tips when it comes to building salads: 

When it comes to building more of a “meal salad,” I want to make sure I’m still getting in a solid fat + protein + carb source in my salad/overall meal. So, to round out today’s spring garden salad to be more of a full meal, I would add a carb source like tortilla chips or bread w/ butter on the side.

How I might go about building a meal salad –> 

Think about the flavor profile you want: Greek? Asian-inspired? Spring vegetables? Summer berries?

Choose base: ideas include spring mix, spinach, romaine lettuce, arugula, or bibb lettuce

Choose fruit and/or veggie combo: consider whatever might be in season, what you have on hand, what sounds good

Choose your fat source (macronutrient #1): ideas include any type of nut, cheese, avocado, hummus

Add your protein source (macronutrient #2): ideas include chicken, tempeh, leftover burger patty, deli meat, salmon, chickpeas, hard-boiled egg, shrimp, beans

Choose your complex carb (macronutrient #3): ideas on your salad include pita chips, roasted sweet potatoes, and brown rice; ideas on the side include tortilla chips, pretzels, crackers, or a roll

Finish off w/ your dressing of choice: consider your desired flavor profile

Spring Garden Salad:

Preparation: 10 minutes
Yields: 1 salad (or more, depending on quantities)

This is not so much a “recipe,” but more of an inspirational guide for you to use and customize based on your personal preferences. 

Ingredients:
Salad:
spring mix
shredded carrots
chopped veggies (such as cucumber, beets, celery, radish)
pistachios
tempeh, chicken, or feta cheese
Balsamic vinaigrette:
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp chopped thyme (fresh or dried)
1/4 tsp chopped rosemary (fresh or dried)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add veggies of your choice to a large bowl of spring mix, and top w/ pistachios and protein of choice.
2. Add all dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more maple syrup for a slightly sweeter dressing, and adjust herbs + seasoning as you see fit.

Notes:

• Other veggies that would work well with this salad include peas (thawed from frozen, or chopped sugar snap) and green bell peppers.
• I generally recommend chopping the veggies to be of similar size.

Enjoy your start to spring! 🙂