This garden salad has everything the best of summer has to offer! It’s crisp, peppery lettuce, topped with sweet fresh fruit, crunchy vegetables, and the creamiest, bright lemon poppyseed dressing.
Do you remember last week when we had a stunning farmer’s market salad, but we had it on a pizza? Well, this version is the kind of garden salad that you serve next to grilled chicken or fish. This is the multi-purpose salad and dressing that you’ll want to be eating all summer long. Because it literally tastes like summer!
May I be so bold as to suggest all these toppings for your salad?
Toppings for garden salad:
- Juicy Peaches
- Sweet Apricots
- Creamy Avocados
- Crunch Cucumbers
- Garlicky croutons
- Toasted Seeds- pumpkin, sunflower, linseeds
- Sweet, Tart, Creamy Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
- Crumbles feta or goat’s cheese… or both!
There’s not really a whole lot more to say about this salad except that you should make it. And once you’ve made it and fallen in love with it you should make it 1000 more times.
Bring it to BBQ’s, potlucks, and cookouts. Make it for a healthy desk lunch. The kind of lunch that makes you feel like you’re barefoot in the grass with the sun on your face. Pass the recipe on to friends and serve it at every get together all summer long.
I make this salad for dinner all the time. We often just have it on its own, but it is gorgeous with grilled shrimp or chicken, too.
What absolutely makes this salad is the dressing! It’s made with low-fat mayonnaise and fat-free Greek yogurt. It tastes like it’s been kissed by the sun but is easier than most recipes that need buttermilk or anything else that you don’t normally keep in your fridge. We’re making approachable recipes here.
Thanks so much for reading and cooking along with me! If you make these bars or have a question, I’d love it if you left a comment and a rating. You can also follow along on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to see what we’re eating, pinning and a little behind the scenes too!
Farmers Market Garden Salad With Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups Lettuce
- 2 cups baby leaves
- 1 peaches
- 5 cherries
- 1 avocado
- 2 Tbsp mixed seeds
- 1 cup heritage cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup croutons
Sun-kissed Lemon Poppy dressing
- 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tablespoons poppyseed
- water until desired consistency
Croutons
- 2 slices of crusty french bread or sourdough cubed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoon thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350f. toss the bread with the olive oil, garlic and thyme. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the croutons are golden and toasted. Leave aside to cool while you make the salad.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and season to taste.
- Place all the lettuce and leaves in a serving bowl and top with the fruit and sliced vegetables.
Nutrition
What a gorgeous summer salad Debs! The colors, the dressing! Nice and light. Love it!
Thanks so much Mare! Perfect for your hot England summers!