Spring Mix Green Salad with Kiwi Dressing

Enjoy this spring mix salad with a sweet and tangy kiwi dressing, bursting with flavor and packed with nutrients for a healthy and delicious meal option.

This spring salad is packed with greens, cucumber, and avocado, and topped with a kiwi dressing, making it perfect for a light lunch or as a side salad. Adding chickpeas on top is optional but makes it wholesome and filling.

The tangy taste of the kiwi is balanced with a bit of maple syrup or honey, giving it the perfect flavor for a delightful salad. The dressing is so good that you can skip the other veggies and just drizzle it on greens.

Kiwi is rich in vitamin C, and the greens have many other nutrients, making this salad a nutritional powerhouse.

What you will need

Veggies in the salad

• Leafy greens: Use spring mix, half and half mix, or any leafy greens of your choice.
• Cucumber: I’m using ½ of an English cucumber, but you can use a Persian cucumber or any other type.
• Avocado: An overripe avocado is best for this salad because it adds a creamy texture.
• Cilantro (optional): For garnish (I completely forgot to add it while shooting this recipe).
• Salt and olive oil.

For the dressing

• Kiwi fruit: I’m using green kiwi fruit for its tangy taste. You can use golden kiwi fruits, but they are sweeter and less tangy. To add some tanginess, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and decrease the amount of sugar in the dressing.
• Maple syrup: I’m using real maple syrup, but you can substitute it with honey, brown sugar, or regular sugar.
• Salt and pepper.
• Red pepper (chili) flakes: For some heat.

 For the chickpeas

Adding chickpeas is optional, but it makes the salad more filling.

• Cooked chickpeas: I’m using canned chickpeas, but you can also cook dried chickpeas. About 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas will yield close to what you get in a can, usually around 15-16 oz.
• Salt and pepper.
• Paprika: You can substitute paprika with Kashmiri red chili.
• Onion powder.
• Olive oil.

How to make the salad

Prepare the chickpeas

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Then, add canned or cooked chickpeas and heat them for around 30 seconds.
2. Add salt, pepper, onion powder, and paprika.
3. Cook for around 1-2 minutes or until the spices coat the chickpeas.
4. Turn off the heat and let the chickpeas sit in the pan for 3-5 minutes to cool down (while you prep the veggies). Then, transfer the chickpeas to a separate serving bowl.

Prepare the greens

1. Wash and dry the greens. (Skip this step if using pre-washed greens)
2. Coarsely slice them (or leave them whole if you prefer).
3. Add olive oil and salt, then mix everything. This step will make the greens a little tender.

Prepare avocado and cucumber

1. Cut the cucumber and avocados into small chunks. (To cut a cucumber into chunks, cut it into quarters lengthwise, then crosswise.)

Make the dressing

1. Peel the kiwis. I usually slice the kiwis in half and then use a spoon to insert it between the skin and the fleshy part of the kiwi. Move it all around to scoop out the kiwi half (see the picture above and the recipe video for reference).
2. Take the peeled kiwi fruits, salt, black pepper, and maple syrup and add them to a blender. For a thinner consistency, add 0.5 to 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.

Assemble the salad

1. In the bowl with the greens, add the cucumbers, avocados, 3-4 tablespoons of chickpeas, and 1/2 of the dressing. Mix everything.
2. Pour the rest of the dressing into a serving bowl and sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.

Serve

1. Serve the salad in a bowl (optional: garnish with cilantro). Serve the chickpeas and dressing in separate bowls alongside.
2. For individual servings, place part of the assembled salad in a bowl, drizzle kiwi dressing generously, and top with chickpeas.
3. Enjoy!