If I were to describe summer on a plate, it would be this salad. This super refreshing summer salad champions the grapefruit and it will make you fall in love of the fruit all over again. It lies over a bed of rockets and kale for a peppery kick. And it’s paired with some of my favorite salad toppings. Finally dressed with an incredible golden salad dressing.
I promise, you will love this salad.
INGREDIENTS:
IMPORTANT: These are just rough measurements, taste as you make it and adjust to your liking!
GOLDEN SALAD DRESSING
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Large Clove of Garlic
- 1/2tsp English Mustard (you can also use Dijon)
- 1tbsp Honey
- Pinch of Salt
- 1/2tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
SALAD-
- 1 Grapefruit
- 1 cup or small bowl of Quinoa
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 can of Kidney Beans
- Small Handful of Almonds
- Small Handful of Dried Cranberries
- Large Handful of Kale
- Large Handful of Rocket
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pinch of Flakey Sea Salt
- 2tbsp Feta Cheese
- Pinch of Salt & Pepper Flakey Sea Salt (a combination of fresh ground peppers and flakey sea salt)
STEPS:
GOLDEN SALAD DRESSING-
- Using a microplane, zest the lemon and add it to a jar. Squeeze in all of its juice.
- Using the same microplane, grate in the garlic clove.
- Add mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and make sure the mustard and honey have fully dissolved into the lemon juice. Give it a taste and make adjustments if needed.
- Add about a 1:1 ratio of olive oil to the lemon mixture. Place a lid on the jar and shake to help emulsify the salad dressing. Give it another taste to make sure you like it!
PREP-
- Segment the Grapefruit. You can do this in many different ways but I like to use a small fruit knife and cut the top and bottom off to expose the fruit. Cut vertically around the fruit to remove all of its peel. You will now be able to see where the membrane is. Take the knife, and cut close to the membrane towards the center. Then do the same on the other side and the segment should fall out of the fruit. Continue segmenting until you are left with just the membrane. Do this over a bowl to catch all of the grapefruit juices. Leave the segments in that bowl too.
- Cook about 1 cup or 1 small bowl of quinoa according to its package.
- Cut cucumbers into small cubes.
- Drain and wash kidney beans.
- Chop almonds into thin shards.
- If the cranberries are large, chop them up but this is optional.
THE SALAD-
- Add kale and rocket to a large bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of flakey sea salt, then massage the greens to help soften it.
- Add about 3tbps of the cooked quinoa, 1 handful of the diced cucumbers, 2tbsp of kidney beans, crumble up the feta cheese, chopped almonds, and cranberries.
- Take out 3 segments of grapefruit to use as garnish later, but add the rest into the salad with its juices.
- Add a generous pour of the salad dressing and give everything a toss. Give it a taste to see if you need more of anything.
- Transfer the salad onto a plate and add the 3 segments of grapefruit on top for an extra pop of color.
- Sprinkle on some flakey salt and ground pepper.
- ENJOY! Happy summer everyone <3
MEAL PREP AND SALT:
- Turning this into a meal prep is super easy! Prep all the ingredients and the salad dressing and keep them in the fridge separately. Assemble the salad when you’re hungry and it’ll come together in less than 5min.
- FLAKEY SEA SALT I LOVE (not an ad)-
- Cornish Sea Salt is a brand I have grown to really love for the past couple of years. They gifted me some flakey sea salt 3 years ago and I have been re-purchasing ever since.
- They have a bunch of different really cool salt flavors, but one of my most used is their Salt and Pepper flakey sea salt. It has 4 different peppers in it and is so good on this salad!
