Spring-inspired pasta-ish salad with radish, asparagus, homemade nut cheese and an oil-free vinaigrette
I bring you the ultimate Spring Salad: blanched asparagus and radish on a bed of baby spinach with briny olives, homemade nut cheese and an oil-free vinaigrette. As delicious as it is good for you!
I am loving all the newness that Spring brings - especially in the produce department.
Because I just want to consume all of it, I am having a lot of salad moments lately. So, my apologies for the salad spam happening on here lately, but…
It feels right.
I love light fare during warmer months. I literally cannot resist a fresh, crisp, cool vegetable.
So I bring you yet another spring salad. This time made with baby spinach, asparagus, arugula, briny olives, orzo, simple spices, homemade cheese and a light vinaigrette.
It’s light, delicious and as always, pretty damn good for you.
Keep scrolling for all the deets!
Health perks
Lots to love on this front.
This salad is totally inspired by the season. I know I’m like a broken record on this topic, but seasonal eating is so great for you, in so many ways. The food is fresher, tastier and far more nutritious than when consumed out of season. It’s also easier to find, more affordable and invites change into your diet.
There’s a bit of a cleansing effect happening here. Lots of vegetables means it’s fibrous and will help you move your bowels. And radishes support detoxification of the liver and stomach and act as a diuretic, which means they support urine production BIG TIME.
The vegetables are blanched, which helps preserve food nutrients while cooking (as well as texture color and flavor).
I’ve included orzo, a type of pasta that kinda looks like rice. While no major health benefits here, they’re lighter than a lot of other pasta varieties, and to me, that makes them kind of perfect for Spring.
The macadamia nut cheese is homemade. I’ve been doing this a lot more lately since I like adding plant-based cheese to my salads, but don’t love the gums, oils and fillers contained in most of them.
The French dressing is also made from scratch, and oil-free. Love when that happens in the dressing department.
Some other thoughts, tips and suggestions
Some things to think about before you set out to make it…
When making the orzo and macadamia nut cheese, you will have far more than what you need for the salad. There will be plenty of extra on hand, so you’ll have enough to make this salad multiple times or to enjoy with other dishes. Orzo is great for babies and toddlers, can be added to soups and I’ve been loving this cheese in salads, as a dip, spread on wraps, on tortilla pizzas, etc.
For a higher protein salad and/or a lower fat cheese option, try this feta. It works well with this salad and it’s delicious and easy to make.
Keep scrolling to check out the full recipe. I hope you love as much as I do and it gives you all the spring-y feels.
Spring-Inspired Pasta-ish Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes (doesn’t include soaking nuts) | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Yields: 1-2 servings
Ingredients:
(For the salad)
1 cup baby spinach
1 radish, roughly chopped sliced
1/4 cup asparagus, roughly chopped
2 tbsp briny olives, pitted
1-2 tbsp orzo, cooked
1 small scoop of macadamia nut cheese (ingredients and method below)
(For the dressing)
1 tbsp French mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pep to taste
(For the macadamia nut cheese)
1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked for 2-4 hours and drained
1 small lemon, juiced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp white miso paste
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup water
Directions
I like to start by preparing the batched items: cheese, orzo and dressing.
To make your cheese, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add small amounts of water if needed until you reach a smooth-ish consistency.*
Next, cook your orzo. Fill a medium size saucepan with water and bring to a boil, add your orzo and stir. Cook on a medium to high heat for about 10 minutes, then drain the water, rinse the pasta under cold water (to prevent sticking) and set aside to cool.*
Finally, the dressing. Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until ingredients are well-combined.*
Now, to prepare your salad. Start by blanching the radish and asparagus. Boil water in a small saucepan, throw the asparagus and radish in for 2-3 minutes, drain the water and run the cooked vegetables under cold water for 10 seconds or so. Combine blanched veg with spinach, olives, orzo and macadamia nut cheese in a bowl. Toss with 1-2 tbsp of dressing and enjoy!
*Store batched items (orzo, cheese and dressing) in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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