Summer Berry Salad with Vanilla Bean Dressing
Beautifully simple and packed with flavor, Summer Berry Salad with Vanilla Bean Dressing is elegant, easy, and will take your salad game next level.
I am absolutely wild about this salad, my friends.
The combination of tender greens, juicy berries, crunchy almonds, tangy goat cheese, and a citrusy-vanilla bean dressing is both simple yet elegant, and is a dish that will have you and your friends raving.
The vanilla bean dressing is what really takes this salad over the top, and is so unexpected and incredibly flavorful that you will find yourself making it again and again.
At first thought, vanilla bean may seem like a strange addition to a salad dressing, but trust me, it works!
The flavors in this salad are inspired by a mama-daughter lunch date that Elle and I had a few weeks ago at the Nordstrom Cafe.
Every once in a while we have a special weekend date day, just the two of us, and on this particular mama-Elle date day we were shopping for a few things and decided to stop for lunch at the Cafe.
A salad with vanilla bean dressing caught my eye, and I knew I had to order it. The flavors were amazing and I immediately set out to recreate it at home.
After some experimenting, I landed on a version that allows the vanilla bean to shine through, and is punctuated with natural sweetness and tang from citrus.
I served a test version of this salad at Easter brunch a few weeks ago and it was the hit of the party. I hope you will enjoy this one as much as we did. Now, let’s make some Summer Berry Salad with Vanilla Bean Dressing!
RECIPE & KID-FRIENDLY ADAPTATIONS
1 | Serve this salad as a side all summer long. It also make a lovely addition to a brunch spread.
2 | For a main dish option, serve topped with grilled chicken or fish, or with white beans or chickpeas.
THIS RECIPE IS . . .
Naturally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free (omit the nuts), Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo and Whole30 Friendly (omit the cheese)
Summer Berry Salad with Vanilla Bean Dressing
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Bean Dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Seeds from one vanilla bean*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Salad
- 5 oz baby spring greens
- ⅓ cup sliced strawberries
- ⅓ cup blueberries
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese, optional
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, vanilla seeds, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until well combined.
- Toss the greens with about half the dressing, being careful not to over-dress. Top with the berries, almonds, and goat cheese (if using), and serve immediately with freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Offer the extra dressing on the side for drizzling, or save the remaining dressing, tightly sealed in the fridge, for up to week.
Hate to sound dumb, but how does one get seeds from a vanilla bean?
Sue, using a sharp paring knife, slice the vanilla bean the long way to open it up. Then use the back of the knife to scrape the seeds out. 🙂
Thank you for the most delicious recipe! To simplify the dressing even more (i.e. less clean up) I just put the ingredients in a jar and shook it vigorously.
Merrill, so glad you enjoyed this one! I love that you simplified the dressing prep, such a great suggestion. 🙂
MAse this for small group and everyone loved it. The dressing was perfect.
Kari, yay, so glad you and your crew enjoyed!