I mean…the title says it all.
I sat here debating for a good ten minutes over whether or not I wanted to title this salad what it actually was (which we will talk about in a minute), or if I should give it a title that immediately alerts you that you are about to make and eat THE MOST BOSS SALAD EVER. Not even exaggerating. I’ve had a lot of salads, and I’ve made a lot of salads…this one takes the cake.
Why? The most perfect combination of flavors and textures that have ever graced your salad bowl. I could (and might) eat this salad every week day for the rest of forever. It is #lyyyfe.
Let’s talk about what is in this magical plate of perfection, shall we?
- Arugula
- Lightly roasted asparagus
- Cucumber ribbons
- Feta cheese
- Lemon, dijon, and shallot vinaigrette
The arugula: fresh, crunchy, peppery, and a perfect pairing for the other delicious ingredients.
The asparagus: sliced in half lengthwise (not totally necessary, but makes it pretty, dainty, and easier to eat) and tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice before roasting for a quick five minutes in the oven. This light roast just takes out a bit of the raw flavor and gives you a slight roasty (word?) taste without eliminating that yummy crunch.
The cucumber ribbons: fresh, light, and fun to eat because they end up resembling noodles. And noodles give me all the feels. It’s the little things in life, right?
The feta cheese: the perfect salty, cheesy, soft, creamy bite that this fresh and crunchy salad needs.
The dressinnngggg: YAS. Lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, shallot, and salt/pepper. This dressing without the shallot is probably the dressing that I use most often in my day-to-day life, but the shallot is super key here – it adds an extra sharp bite that this salad 100% needs. It’s not overpowering in the slightest, just a delicious complex background flavor that will make your taste buds so happy.
And that’s it, people. The most BOSS salad of all time. You’ll love it. Not to mention it looks stunning when you assemble it all together.
New house story time: (I have two for ya)
1. It was our second night here. I was taking a shower for the first time, reached in to turn on the faucet, stepped back, pulled the curtain closed, aaaannnndddd MASSIVE SPIDER. Like…massive. Take what you are picturing in your mind and multiply it by the size of your living room.
I might be slightly exaggerating there, but I’m telling you guys, it was absolutely enormous. Kansas, why do you populate wolf spiders in such abundance? Whaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy. I literally screamed like I was being murdered. And then Seth came sprinting in two seconds later, and I peaced out of there ASAP until that baby was flushed waaay down the toilet. And now I am still very cautious anytime I’m in the bathroom. Hey spider, thanks for ruining our new house’s very pretty and large bathroom for me on the second night. THANKS.
2. We have a pretty sizable fenced in yard now (OH MY GOSH BEST THING EVER), which means we can actually just open the little sliding door and let Boone out. No walking around with him on a leash in the hot weather, rain, snow, freezing weather, etc…I seriously cannot even tell you how awesome this is. Downside: Boone has decided since having a yard that his passion above all else is eating grass in large volume.
It’s like the human equivalent of a juicy filet mignon and a side of truffled mashed potatoes for him. He just can’t get enough. The side effect? Constant hacking for like fifteen minutes after he comes inside. You can really achieve some nice relaxing ambiance in your house when your dog is hacking his face off two feet away from you…oh wait. So, yay yard! But not-so-much-yay on Boone’s new obsession of eating grass like it’s his job.
P.S. As I write this, he is hacking every two seconds and Seth is trying to force feed him water…strug ?.
Maybe Boone’s constant grass eating is what subconsciously inspired this salad because of all that yummy green. SO GOOD.
PrintThe Most BOSS Salad of All Time
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of asparagus, fibrous ends removed, and sliced in half lengthwise*
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 hot house cucumber
- 2 loosely packed cups arugula
- A few tablespoon of feta cheese (more or less to taste)
- For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot (plus a little extra for topping)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, prep your asparagus, and lay them out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil (about a teaspoon), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- Toss to combine, and roast in your oven for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool
- Meanwhile, make your cucumber ribbons. Using a vegetable peeler, peel your cucumber into “ribbons” – long thin slices. You will end up being able to do this on 4 sides of your cucumber – stop right before you get to the seeds
- To make your dressing, whisk all ingredients together (lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, shallot) and season to taste with salt and pepper
- To assemble your salad, start with the arugula. On top of the arugula, arrange your cucumber ribbons and roasted asparagus. Add a little extra minced shallot on top (optional) and sprinkle on your feta cheese. Another optional topping is a little bit of cracked black pepper
- Dress the salad to taste and you’re ready to go!
- Notes:
- *You don’t NEED to slice the asparagus in half – it just looks more pretty/dainty and makes it easier to eat.
- *This dressing recipe made more than I needed, but I know some people really like to dress their salads more than I do – so don’t just dump all of the dressing on there, because it might be too much for you too! You can always save the rest for later*
*This recipe is gluten free*
This recipe makes two dinner servings and four side servings. Nutrition information is for a dinner serving.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
In the mood for more yummy salads? Check these out:
Simple Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Grilled Romaine Salad with Bacon and Blue Cheese
Caprese Salad Bites with Garlic Balsamic Reduction
I can totally see why you named this salad BOSS. It looks beautiful, healthy, AND delicious! Congrats on your house…. I hope spiders stay far, far away!
So, so yummy! Thanks Sues :).
Oh gosh…….this salad sounds divine. I have a super easy salad I need to share with you. It’s called The House of Mole salad. Super easy and past delicious. My family calls it “bowl licken good”.
It is SO yummy! I am always, always, always open to new salad recipes – especially “bowl licken good ones” :). I’d love for you to share it with me!