SUMMER BOUNTY SALAD WITH SASKATOON CIDER VINAIGRETTE

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Welcome back for another seasonally inspired RECIPE, beautiful people! I’m currently typing to you from my impromptu outdoor office at my childhood home in rural Alberta on this gorgeous August afternoon. The bees are buzzing, the butterflies are fluttering and the sweet scents of summer crops are lingering on the country air — it’s the ideal setting to publish my Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette, don’t you think? If you’ve been reading JustineCelina since last summer you may remember the delicious, clean Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble I came up with after a friend let us forage their farm to take advantage of the plentiful crop. It was saskatoon overload (in the best way possible!) so I took the opportunity to work on a few more saskatoon themed recipes — but because of my intensive testing process I wasn’t able to publish them before the season ended. Excited to bring those recipes to the blog this summer, we headed south in search of fleeting saskatoons and canola — and we ended up finding a beautiful field of canola (annual photos coming soon!) with wild saskatoon bushes growing alongside it. Honestly, what are the chances?!

My Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette is inspired by the abundant seasonal produce and herbs available at our local markets (and in the wild!) at the height of summer! This colourful, local, ultra fresh salad can be on your table in 15 minutes and is brimming with incredible, heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich superfoods and nutrients. Straight from our Alberta farms to your table, a vitamin-infused bed of baby spinach and arugula showcases a striking mosaic of freshly picked saskatoon berries, garden peas, shredded golden beets, crisp radishes, fresh mint, sunflower seeds and scallions — dressed with a punchy Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette celebrating Alberta’s favorite berry. Enjoy this feel good salad as a light, plant based entrée whenever you’re in the mood for something quick and nutritious, or as a beautiful accompaniment to grilled fish (it’s great with with trout or salmon), meat or tofu!

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SUMMER BOUNTY SALAD WITH SASKATOON CIDER VINAIGRETTE

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I actually came up with this recipe this time last summer at my childhood home in rural Alberta while I was visiting my family. On my way through town, I stopped into a very small, local farmers market in my hometown comprised of just a few booths — but overflowing with gorgeous produce at a major bargain. I feasted my eyes on the most beautiful golden beets, radishes, peas, green onions and garlic — and ended up bringing a huge grocery haul out with me!

We had just gone foraging for saskatoons the week prior, so there were tons of fresh berries to use up — and along with whatever else my Mom had kicking around, my Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette was born during one of my kitchen takeovers! My family loved the recipe and we enjoyed it a few more times that week as I perfected it — but by that time the saskatoons were near the end of their life cycle and ready for freezing. So, it was first on my list to publish this August!

This summer, we visited the The Saskatoon Farm in Foothills, Alberta in search of fresh saskatoons. Believe it or not, I had never been! This year’s saskatoon crop wasn’t very abundant, but they did have a lovely selection of farm fresh produce available and I shopped for nearly all of the ingredients for this recipe. We only ended up with about a third of a bucket full of berries, which would have just been enough for this recipe — but we also ended up finding wild saskatoon bushes growing alongside a nearby field of canola! We pulled over to take our annual canola photos (which I’ll be sharing soon) and ended up foraging a full bucket full of wild saskatoons. It was a lovely afternoon — and so quintessentially Albertan!

This year I used our saskatoon harvest to refine and produce this recipe, but I also infused some berries into our favourite local vodka — so expect a saskatoon inspired cocktail coming your way in about a month, when it’s finish distilling! And if you aren’t able to get your hands on fresh saskatoons, not to worry — you can still enjoy this salad! Any local or seasonal berry will work in this recipe, but blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and currants would work especially well. My recipes are easy-going like that — by all means, feel free to make substitutions to suit your palette or make use of whatever you have on hand!

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INGREDIENTS

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Yield: 2 entrée sized salads or 4 sides

SUMMER BOUNTY SALAD

• 4 cups densely packed baby spinach
• 2 cups arugula
• 5 radishes
• 2 cups shredded golden beets
• 2 cups saskatoons
• 1 cup fresh peas
• 1/4 cup scallions
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

SASKATOON CIDER VINAIGRETTE

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup saskatoons
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup filtered water
• 1 tbsp 100% pure Canadian maple syrup

GARNISH

• 2 tbsp fresh mint
• Edible flowers (I used Fireweed — it grows wild across Canada!)

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INSTRUCTIONS

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1. Begin by adding spinach and arugula to a large mixing bowl.

2. Wash all produce. Shell fresh peas, slice radishes, shred beets, chop green onion and mint.

3. Add all produce and nuts over top your bed of greens. I like to style my salads by arranging the different ingredients in a pie shape, alternating colour and texture.

4. Sprinkle garnishes over your the Summer Bounty Salad.

5. Prepare your Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette by adding all ingredients to a Vitamix (or similar) and blending until smooth (the saskatoon skins won’t fully break down — and that’s okay!).

6. Dress your salad and toss to serve.

Note: I’ve added some edible Fireweed flowers  to these salads for a colourful garnish! They grow wild all over Alberta and BC and I love to use their edible flowers in your summer salads and cocktails. They don’t have a distinct flavour, but they sure are beautiful!

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SHOP MY OUTFIT

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CELEBRATE THE SEASON WITH MORE PLANT BASED SUMMER RECIPES

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Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Gluten Free Croutons

Wild Saskatoon Berry Crumble

Spiced Strawberry Watermelon Gazpacho

Radiant Red Juice

Superfood Peach Pie Smoothie Bowls

Saskatoon lovers, check out my 4 Healthy Saskatoon Berry Recipes + Where to Pick Saskatoons In Alberta post! 

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What’s your favourite summer berry? Although I have a soft spot for saskatoons and other local berries, I love all berries equally! Berries are such a versatile fruit and fantastic in so many recipes — from salads, to gazpacho, to cocktails!

Did you try my Summer Bounty Salad with Saskatoon Cider Vinaigrette? Please let me know how you liked it — I absolutely love your feedback! Feel free to leave me a comment, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I’d love you to hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations so I can find them — browsing my feed and stumbling on your beautiful recreations is one of my favourite feelings! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you’re looking for more healthy, plant based recipes. I have tons more seasonal recipes coming your way as we enter autumn — but I think another rosé sangria will be up next!

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