This salad is fresh, bright and zingy. Perfect for those muggy summer evenings when just the thought of turning on the stovetop makes you sweat.

This salad is so big on flavor I consider it a standalone meal. It’s filling with plenty of healthy fats from the walnuts and avocado. If you really need more protein I would suggest some shrimp, chicken or any white fish. Mmm actually mahi or grouper would be sublime. Also if you have fresh mint on hand, that would be delicious in this.

Be sure to use good quality pepper and salt! I strongly recommended Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. It’s simply the best salt around and the texture is unbeatable.

Ingredients:

Salad greens

Orange

Grapefruit

Avocado

Red onion

Walnuts

Cucumber

Small tri-color peppers

Feta (crumbled)

Honey (raw and local for max health benefits and flavor)

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Mustard (preferably Dijon)

Lemon/Lime

Salads are so easy to adjust for your personal tastes/current fridge inventory. I would say the nonnegotiable ingredients for this salad would be: salad greens, avocado, citrus fruit, mustard, honey, olive oil, and feta.

Method:

Toast walnuts. I use my toaster oven and just toast them plain but if you’re feelin fancy you could add a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of brown sugar. I really recommend toasting walnuts yourself rather than buying already toasted ones from the store. The flavor is much more rounded and the texture is a bit soft and crumbly rather than hard and very crunchy. I think I toast them at about 325-350 Fahrenheit, but just keep an eye on them as they can burn easily and quickly. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

Get your clean and dry salad greens in your salad bowl ready to go, be sure to pick out any wilted or mushy bits. These absolutely ruin salads for me in restaurants. Be sure to dry your greens with a paper towel or kitchen cloth. This really makes the difference between a heavy, limp salad and a bouncy, full of life one.

Chop up your salad toppings and add to salad bowl. Add as much or as little as you like. Segment your orange and grapefruit however you like. I like to cut them into bite size pieces. Thinly slice your red onion, not too much as it will be a very strong flavor. Slice cucumbers and quarter the slices. Thickness should be about that of a key. Slice the crunchy peppers into little ringlets. Cube or slice the avocado. For me, the easiest way to do this is to first slice the avocado in half lengthwise. Then remove the pit by confidently whacking your knife into the pit and twisting it out. Make diagonal slices taking care not to go through the skin. If going for cubes, make diagonal slices the other way. Use a spoon to smoothly separate the creamy fruit from the skin.

Add the crumbled cheese and toasted walnuts.

In a small container make the dressing. Squeeze the juice from what’s left of the orange and grapefruit. Add a squeeze of lemon or lime. Add a spoonful of mustard and a healthy pour of good quality extra-virgin olive oil. Add a spoonful of honey. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk quickly with a fork. Taste and make any adjustments necessary.

When you’re happy with the vinaigrette, drizzle over the salad and toss to combine. I recommend drizzling half of what you think you need and tossing first, then if it’s too dry add a bit more. You want a lightly dressed salad, not one that’s drowning in liquid.

Finish with salt and pepper. Enjoy!