As farmers market season comes upon us, we will soon be able to buy beautiful fresh produce to use at home. Some of these delicious items include leafy greens, carrots, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and even berries, which are all perfect ingredients for building a salad!

Salads ordered in restaurants can look super fancy and hard to construct at home, but it's easier than it looks. You can have a salad with home-made dressing on the table in less than 30 minutes!

When it comes to homemade salads and dressings, the flavors are entirely up to you! For the salad, make sure to wash the produce thoroughly, before cutting and tossing together in a bowl. For the dressing, slowly mix 1/2 cup of healthy oil (olive, vegetable, etc.) with 3 tablespoons of an acid (vinegar, citrus juice, etc.). Finish by adding any extra flavorings that you would like (herbs, garlic powder, mustard, spices, etc.).

Basic Garden Salad with Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1/2 cup lettuce
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

• Wash all produce
• Tear spinach and lettuce and add to mixing bowl
• Add the raisins, halved tomatoes, and diced peppers to the greens
• In a small bowl, slowly whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice, until thickened
• Gently stir in oregano
• Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat
• Serve and enjoy!

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