Garden Salad & Dressing

Many of my recipes, including my Italian Sausage & Goat Cheese Pizza, are suggested served alongside a salad.  My salads always have different ingredients in them depending on what I have on hand, but this my go-to recipe for when I have a fully stocked fridge.

4 sticks celery, washed
1 bell pepper, washed
1 cup snap peas, washed and stringed
2 cups shredded carrots from Trader Joe's
1 cucumber
1 bag baby spinach from Trader Joe's
1 head lettuce, washed and chopped

I also always make my own dressing, because it's way healthier and more customizable that anything you can buy at the store.

¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup creamy Dijon mustard from Trader Joe's
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup water

Slice the celery sticks.  If you want tiny pieces, you can cut the sticks in half lengthwise before you slice them, but I usual leave them whole.

Finely chop the bell pepper into small cubes.

Finely slice the snap peas.

Peel your cucumber, then slice into halves and scoop out the seeds.  If you are using an english cucumber, you can skip scooping out the seeds.  Slice into fourths, then finely chop into thin slices.

Add all the ingredients (celery, bell peppers, snap peas, carrots, cucumber, spinach, and lettuce) to a large bowl and toss until they are fully combined.

Now that we've made the salad, lets move on to the dressing!

Measure out the agave nectar, Dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar into a small bottle.

Making sure the lid is secured, shake the bottle until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Add the olive oil and water, then shake until the dressing is fully mixed.

Try this delicious salad and dressing with my Italian Sausage & Goat Cheese Pizza, Pan Fried Tilapia with a Caramelized Onion Sauce, or any other recipe you want to try it with!

Garden Salad & Dressing alongside Stuffed Artichokes. (recipe for artichokes coming soon!)

Garden Salad & Dressing with my Italian Sausage & Goat Cheese Pizza!

To see more of my pictures, you can find me on Instagram at @audreygracephotography.