Bright Spring Salad

Ingredients for Salad:
4-6 spears asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
½ c. frozen sweetlet peas, thawed
4 c. mixed salad greens
½ c. Minas Frescal Cheese, cut into cubes (for added texture, fry the cubes until nicely browned)
¼ c. unsalted Sunflower Seeds
1 bunch fresh dill
sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients for Toasted Bread Crumbs:
1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. Garlic Olive oil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:
2 Tbsp. Dill Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Cucumber Melon White Balsamic
1 tsp. Gravelbourgh French Style Mustard (or Dijon mustard)
sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

For the asparagus, you can include it raw in the salad for a nice crunch. Or cook as desired, allow to cool, then add to salad. If you want to grill it, brush with additional Dill Olive Oil and grill until nicely charred. If you want to blanche it, fill a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the asparagus for about 1 minute or until tender but still bright green. Transfer to the ice water for 1 minute, then drain. Allow the asparagus to cool and dry. 

For Toasted Bread Crumbs, toss crumbs with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toast in 325F oven for 5-10 minutes until toasted and lightly browned. Allow to cool.

For dressing, add all salad dressing ingredients together in a bowl, jar, cruet, or blender. Whisk, shake or blend until emulsified.

To compile the salad, add asparagus and peas to a large salad bowl. Add half of the dressing to the bowl with the asparagus and peas and toss to coat. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Drizzle with the remaining dressing. If adding toasted breadcrumbs, sprinkle on top before serving. Serve right away. 

Serves 4

Note: This recipe was the inspiration for family-style salad served at Taste of Steinbach 2026.