Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • Little Gem Lettuce- 3-4 heads, leaves separated, washed (or sub 2 romaine hearts, torn)
  • 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced (watermelon radish is nice here)
  • 1 avocado, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup sunflower sprouts (or microgreens)
  • 1/4 cup pickled red onions, or pickled shallots (or sub thinly sliced red onion)
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
  • 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves, optional
  • optional additions: thinly shaved fennel, thinly sliced kohlrabi or salad turnips, matchstick carrots, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, blanched green beans
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley chopped- optional
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon white or Apple Cider vinegar

Instruction

  • If making the quick pickled onions or pickled shallots, start these first.
  • by whisking the mayo, buttermilk, and sour cream in a bowl until smooth, stir in the remaining ingredients, and place in the fridge- you want this cold!
  • Separate the little gem lettuce leaves. Tear any extra-large ones in half, but leave any smaller ones whole. Wash and spin dry or pat dry ( or spread out on a towel on the counter and let air dry.
  • Place the lettuce leaves in a big bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. At this point, you could refrigerate until serving. Right before serving toss with a little cold dressing- a little at a time- you will not need all. Just enough to coat each leaf generously.
  •  Season the salad with a little salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. You want the salad to taste “punchy”, to balance out all those fresh herbs.