Image by Jean Hanks

For me, spring and summer scream salad. It goes beyond eating healthy to look good on the beach. After emerging from the sticky, crowded subway station into the humid New York City air, I just don’t want to sit down to a heavy meal. Salads are light, refreshing and look beautiful when made with vibrant vegetables.

The great thing about salads is their versatility. Really anything can be a salad ingredient, and with the right combination of foods a salad can stand alone as a main dish.

Keeping salad boredom at bay, though, requires some creativity. I usually make classic tossed veggie salads, so this time I experimented with a grain-based salad and a composed salad, in which the ingredients are placed next to each other, not mixed together.

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It’s a great idea to buy produce in season, when fruits and veggies are at their freshest. These salads incorporate some of May and June’s seasonal ingredients, like asparagus, peas, artichokes, strawberries and spinach. I started simple, with an easy, fruity tossed salad.

Spinach Salad With Strawberries and Feta

2 cups baby spinach
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped

Simply put all ingredients in a large bowl, and mix! A simple dressing is all you need — I used a classic olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix.

My other salad recipes:
–
– Spring Seasonal Composed Salad

Jean Hanks is the Forward’s food intern.

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