I know it’s end of January, but there are days when the Scottish aura outside the window tries to convince me that spring is near. I’m not the Winter person, after Christmas Holidays I can’t wait when the Spring comes, to get rid of these layers, hats and dark mornings. Birds starts to sing little bit more, the sun is nicely warming my living room, though when the wind blows it’s nice to pull the hat over my ears when I run errands.

I slowly start craving for fresh crunchy veggies and to stop cooking meaty stews, but it still will takes a two months or so until we see more signs of Spring and days without puffer jackets.

In the waiting time I can have a sniff of the cucumber in my salad (I don’t know how about you, but for me fresh cucumber smells like Spring) enjoying some sun in my living room. At least inside is warm and cosy 😉

You can actually prepare this a salad from your favourite vegetables, because all the goodness is hidden in the sauce. The base is extra-virgin olive oil, dark green and bitter in taste, but rich in omega 6 and 9 as well as vitamins E and K. Soften its taste with a teaspoon of heather honey and a little lukewarm water. Add little pink Himalayan salt, which, unlike regular table salt, is said to be rich in minerals. Himalayan salt has a slightly different salty taste than regular salt and I think that it is perfect for salads. And finally linseeds which are good for your skin, hair and digestion and nuts which they are tasty and healthy any time, anywhere. The finished sauce is delicious and I was basically tempted to eat it alone without the salad.

It’s a very simple salad, dressing makes it more special. You can prepare it for your lunch and take to work, or have it for supper. These types of salads require a lot of chewing, so if you get hungry in the evening or have cravings, such a crispy salad will successfully satisfy it. You can use various veggies and salads leaves you currently have in your kitchen. Simply prepare bigger batch of dressing that you can store in the jar and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

green salad with linseed dressing

INGREDIENTS:

• salad mix: red chicory, oak leaf salad, mache salad/cornsalad
• couple red baby peppers
• ½ cucumber
• piece of mild cheddar cheese
• handful of capers
• ½ small red onion
• couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• couple tablespoons of lukewarm water
• pinch of lemon pepper (or regular coarse pepper)
• pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp heather honey
• 2 tsp linseeds/flaxseeds
• couple drops of lemon juice
• ½ tsp dried parsley or fresh finely chopped parsley leaves
• handful of mixed nuts

DIRECTIONS

First prepare the dressing. Combine olive oil with all the spices, honey and a little lukewarm water. You can put all ingredients to a small jar, close the lid tightly and give it a good shake so that the honey dissolves well. Add linseeds and set aside for a while. During this time, prepare vegetables for the salad.

Rinse the lettuce, shred it and put it into a large bowl. Dice pepper and cucumber. Also cut the yellow cheese into small cubes. Chop the red onion finely. Drain the capers from the brine and add them to lettuce. Mix everything together. Pour with the prepared dressing and sprinkle with a handful of nuts.