Let’s Throw a Produce Party! Summer Salad Spa Recipes

If you’ve been to the supermarket lately you’ve probably noticed an abundance of fresh, delicious, and more often than not, locally grown fruits and veggies! It’s no wonder that June, along with being the month that officially kicks off summer, is Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month! Clearly there’s no better excuse for throwing a produce party and to celebrate the spa way we reached out to some of our favorite chefs to round up recipes for delicious summer salads that are perfect for eating al fresco!

Ojai Pixie Treat Salad from The Oaks at Ojai
Serves 6 as a starter salad 90 calories per serving

Dressing
6 tablespoons Ojai pixie or tangerine juice
6 tablespoons Ojai Mandarin Olive Oil (you can use regular olive oil or ½ and 1/2 )
2 tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
Pinch of sea salt

Salad
6 cups fresh greens, such as kale or arugula, torn or cut into small pieces
¼ small red onion, slivered (use more if you like it a lot!)
2 Ojai Pixie tangerines (or any sweet tangerine), peeled and sectioned
2 avocados, sliced
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Whisk all dressing ingredients.
2. Toss your greens with the salad dressing and the onion.
3. Divide the dressed greens on the plates, and arrange the tangerines and avocado in a swirl, as artfully as you like. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top.

Farm-Fresh Salad from Executive Chef Scott Crawford of Herons, the Forbes Five Star, AAA Five Diamond restaurant at The Umstead Hotel and Spa
Serves 4

4 heads Baby Iceberg Lettuce cut in half, washed, spun dry and refrigerated
1 fresh avocado removed from skin.
Chives thinly sliced
Juice from 1 lime
¼ lb Pancetta thinly sliced
¼ lb Goat Feta crumbled
½ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
2 tablespoons tomato concasse brunoise
1 fresh radish thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh baby mache washed and spun dry
8 fresh nasturtium flowers
12 fresh Violas or Johnny Jump Up Flowers
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon oil
Sea Salt & Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
2. Pancetta: Place pancetta disks on a large sheet pan between two baking mats and bake at 250 for 45 minutes or until light brown and crispy. Remove and allow cooling.
3. Lettuce: After washing refrigerate lettuce, Mache and radish.
4. Avocado: using a small food processor puree the avocado with lime juice and salt to taste.

Dressing
In a mixing bowl mix vinegar, buttermilk, crème fraiche, goat feta, Tomato concasse, Chives, lemon oil and salt & Pepper to taste allow to chill for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Plate up
Serve Lettuce very cold. Place 2 lettuce halves on a plate. Create large dots of avocado puree using a squeeze bottle or spoon. Top lettuce with buttermilk dressing, mache, radish, and spring flowers. Garnish with 2 to 3 pancetta disks. Finish with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Toasted Quinoa and Seasonal Vegetable Salad from Chef Eric Bauer of Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Quinoa
1 part quinoa
2 parts water
Salt to taste
1 bouquet garni (1 ounce fresh thyme, 6 bay leaves and 1 Tablespoon black peppercorn tied in a cheesecloth)
1. In a sauce pot, combine quinoa, water, salt and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 18 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Strain excess liquid and set aside in a container to cool.

Roasted Tomato Sherry Dressing
10 Roma tomatoes
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
3 ounces Dijon mustard
2 ounces shallot, minced
1 ounce thyme, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 quart olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash tomatoes, remove core, slice in half.
2. Place halved tomatoes, skin side up, on sheet tray and place in oven for 20-25 minutes until outer skin of tomato is deeply browned.
3. Let tomatoes cool completely. Combine all ingredients, except oil, and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Continue to blend, incorporating oil in a steady stream until dressing is fully emulsified. Set aside.

Putting it all together
3 ounces butter lettuce
2 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 1/2 ounces Roasted Tomato Sherry Dressing (see above)
3 ounces toasted quinoa (see above)
1 Tablespoon cranberry
1 ounce asparagus, blanched
1 ounce zucchini, sautéed
1 ounce roasted peppers
Salt and black pepper to taste
7 Harissa marinated shrimp

1. In a mixing bowl, combine butter lettuce, cherry tomatoes and 1 ounce of tomato sherry dressing. Toss together well, thoroughly coating the greens.
2. In another mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 ounces of tomato sherry dressing, toasted quinoa, cranberry, asparagus, zucchini, roasted peppers, salt and pepper. Toss together.
3. Present butter lettuce and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl, stacking lettuce leaves to create height in the center. Place quinoa and vegetable mix over butter lettuce and arrange some of the colorful ingredients on top.
4. Grill harissa marinated shrimp until just cooked through and place on top of salad.

Baby Beet Salad from Golden Door Spa: Recipe Here

Kale Salad from Golden Door Spa: Recipe Here

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