Summer is just around the corner! Pools open this weekend, and there will certainly be Memorial Day picnics to attend. Maybe you’re headed to the beach this weekend, the pool, or a Memorial Day picnic? If so, this summer veggie salad is refreshing and simple to make ahead! And if you like salad, we have two other recipes you’ll love: Lentil Salad with Salami and Feta and Everyday Mixed Green Salad.
What You’ll Love About This Summer Veggie Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
- It tastes great, is easy to make, and is a perfect addition to any potluck or picnic.
- It’s a marinated vegetable salad that’s versatile and can be made with your favorite raw veggies.
- You can make a big batch because this marinated vegetable salad keeps all week and makes a great, easy side dish for just about any meal.
- This crisp cauliflower salad works well for picky eaters because you can easily deconstruct it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Radishes
- Watercress or arugula
- Salt and pepper
- Dijon mustard
- Redwine vinegar
- Canola oil
Make This Cauliflower Salad With Any Crisp Veggies You Like
This marinated vegetables salad can be made from any combination of veggies you like. Try making it with chopped raw green beans, chopped raw asparagus (cut off the tips and discard them), raw sugar snap peas, sliced radishes, and toasted sliced almonds.
Expert Tips for Offering Salad to Kids
- This salad can work well for kids because if you use a dressing they like, they’re more likely to be open to trying the salad. Also, they can eat around the veggies they don’t like or you can serve it deconstructed.
- Full disclosure: I’ve made this cauliflower salad for years, and my kids still don’t eat it, even though they love mustard vinaigrette (as our regular readers know, it’s a staple in our house), and they eat carrots and cucumbers regularly. I just keep making the salad. Maybe they’ll try it sometime, and maybe not.
How to Make Cauliflower Salad
You can simply chop up as many raw veggies as you’d like. But if you’d like a recipe, here it is: Cut up ½ a head of cauliflower into small, bite-size florets. Peel and cut up a cucumber (or 2). Peel and cut up 3-4 large carrots. Invite your kids to help peel the carrots and cukes. Then rinse and slice 5 radishes. I often add some arugula or watercress, too. Toss with about 1/2 cup of the mustard vinaigrette and some salt and pepper to taste. You can always add more vinaigrette.
To make the mustard vinaigrette, whisk together 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
4 Ways to Serve This Marinated Vegetable Salad
- As a veggie side.
- As a main dish summer veggie salad on a bed of cooked farro (one of my personal favorite grains) and topped with toasted, unsalted nuts. Any kind of nuts you like will work. Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds will work well, too. If you only have salted nuts, you may want to use a little less salt when making the salad.
- Another main dish summer salad, over mixed greens and topped with tuna.
- Toss the marinated vegetables salad with cooked pasta for a yummy pasta salad.
Speaking of Summer, Did you read Anna’s recent post?
Being just on the verge of summer has me thinking about summer camp and Anna’s recent post. Ellie, our 11-year-old is going to sleep away camp for the first time this summer. I think I’m more nervous than she is! One of my concerns is what if she ends up in a cabin with kids and counselors who are focused on diets and diet talk.
I know she has a lot of language and beliefs from home that will help her navigate this. But, it’s hard for a kid or teen (and many adults) when everyone around you is talking about the need to lose weight or what foods they’re eating and what they’re not.
So, I sent the camp director the free training resource Anna shared in her last post! Who are you sharing the resource with? It’s important we get diet culture out of summer camp (along with all the other places it pops up).
More Summer Recipes You’ll Like
Crisp Summer Veggie Salad
Crisp Summer Veggie SaladIngredients
- 1/2 Head of cauliflower cut into small bite-size pieces
- 3 Medium carrots peeled and diced or chopped
- 1 *Seedless cucumber peeled and diced peeled, seeded and diced or chopped
- 4-6 Radishes washed and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup watercress leaves washed washed and removed from stems
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients for the Mustard Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup Canola oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut up 1/2 head of cauliflower into small, bite-size pieces.
- Peel the carrots and then slice each in half lengthwise. Then dice (or chop) the carrots.
- Peel the cucumber and then slice in half lengthwise. Then dice or chop it.
- Wash the radishes and then cut each in half. Set on the cutting board sliced side down and slice them. The slices will look a bit like half moons.
- Rinse the watercress. Remove the leaves from the stems.
- Place all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1/2 cup mustard vinaigrette. You can always add more if needed.
- To make the mustard vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, canola oil and salt and pepper until emulsified.
Notes
We’re Elizabeth & Anna!
It’s great to have you here. We’re registered dietitians and we share tips to support you in raising kids with a healthy relationship with food.
