This salad celebrates summer with tomatoes, blueberries, and a bright basil dressing. The beauty of this salad is that you can use any seasonal produce and lettuce you’d like. Toss it all in that herby, lemony basil dressing and you’re good to go. Just don’t skip the avocado! It helps balance out the acidity and sweetness from the fruit.
Ingredient highlight
Tomatoes! These juicy fruits are at their peak flavor and nutrition in mid to late summer. They’re rich in the antioxidant lycopene (what gives them their red color), which is known for promoting heart health, among many other benefits. They are also rich in vitamins C + K, folate, and potassium.
Pro tip: tomatoes need salt to bring out their flavor. Any time you’re adding raw tomato to anything, sprinkle them with a bit of salt. Trust me!!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries (or any seasonal fruit)
- 1 cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes or use chopped tomatoes
- 1 head little gem lettuce (or any tender lettuce), chopped or torn (about 5 cups)
- 1 avocado, chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 1 cup)
For the dressing:
- 1 cup loosely packed basil
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a high speed blender, add all of the dressing ingredients. Blend on high until smooth.
- In a large bowl, add blueberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado. Add ⅔ of the dressing and toss to coat. Taste and add more dressing, if needed.
- Serve topped with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make basil dressing
- Wash lettuce
- Chop or slice 1 cup tomatoes
Substitutions:
- Use any fruit or lettuce in this salad. You could really substitute anything in here, as long as you have the dressing then it will be a delicious salad. Don’t skip the avocado though – it adds much needed creaminess to the salad.
- If you don’t have miso paste, just substitute with 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari.
- I love the basil here, but you could also try it with cilantro or parsley or a mix.
- You could also sub the lemon for apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. If you do that, you could probably skip the maple syrup. Use your taste buds!
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Depending on what lettuce you use, the lettuce could get soggy if it sits in the dressing. I recommend making the amount of salad you want to eat and keeping the components separate so you can make a freshly dressed salad before eating.
- I love this salad with this weeks Miso Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken and some buttered toast, but it would be delicious with any grilled meat.
- To add vegetarian protein, top with Crispy Chickpeas!
