We have been going crazy for salads over here lately. I am not really sure what started it all because we are definitely not the type of people that just sit down and pull up a big bowl of salad. We usually eat things like taquitos, tacos, and vegan enchiladas, but since we are on a salad kick I am just going to go with it! 
This salad obsession has reignited my love for assemblage art. Is that weird? Looking at a salad as a work of art? In a former life {AKA: Before my kids ruled my life.} I spent my free time creating works of assemblage art and selling them at art shows, galleries, and festivals. I loved everything about it and was positive that I would spend my days creating and sharing my art with the world. This art career of mine paved the way for Todd and I to meet and once we were married we combined my love of creating these pieces with his love of textile design and formed our design company Union Eighteen. Now, back to those salads... 
As we were chopping, peeling, and slicing veggies for this particular salad something beautiful happened. It started to look more like a piece of art than a salad...hmmm a delicious, earthy, edible piece of art. I think I like it,which means you will probably be seeing more of these! Hope you don't mind. 
The dressing is a simple carrot-ginger dressing like you would be served at a Japanese steakhouse. The recipe for the dressing makes more than you need so you can feel free to slather veggies with it for days. That's what I do! The salad mix is made up primarily of spicy greens which give this salad a great bite to go along with the subtle sweetness of the carrots and golden beets. The black radish brings an insane earthy flare to the party, but makes a great companion to the tangy, tiny watermelon-esque Mexican sour gherkin cucumbers.
Summer's End Salad
- Yield: 4 as a side, 2 as a main 1x
Ingredients
For the dressing
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ⅛ cup Tamari
- ½ tablespoon ten Free & Vegan)">caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons finely grated ginger
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼-½ of 1 medium sized yellow onion, depending on taste; roughly chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the salad
- 5 ounces mixed spicy salad greens {See note.}
- 1 large orange or yellow heirloom carrot, cut into strips with a vegetable peeler
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced in half if large
- ¼ cup whole Mexican sour gherkin cucumbers {See note.}
- ½ of 1 large yellow beet, sliced thinly on a mandoline
- 1 black radish, thinly sliced
- edible flower petals for garnish, optional {See note}
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Combine the oil, vinegar, Tamari, sugar, ginger, carrots, and onion to a food processor fitted with the "s" blade. Process until smooth then season with salt and pepper to taste. Unused dressing while last in the refrigerator for approximately 2 weeks.
Make the salad
- In a large bowl or on a platter combine the greens, carrot strips, tomatoes, cucumbers, beet slices, radish slices, and edible flower petals if using. Sprinkle with a little Kosher salt to season and serve with carrot-ginger dressing on the side.
Notes
Spicy salad greens: mizuna, baby and wild arugula, baby chard, radicchio, escarole, spinach, baby kale.
Most grocery stores will carry a similar blend or choose your own greens.
Mexican sour gherkin: Can be substituted to thinly sliced Persian cucumbers, but they will not have the same tart flavor.
Edible Flower Petals: You can find these in the same section as the fresh herbs at Whole Foods
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Fuji says
Looks so good … … Happy day🙂
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
This salad is absolutely a work of art. My jaw dropped when I saw the photos (like, not just an expression - talking wide-open maw over here). Seriously - stunning.
Meg says
Ha, Kare thank you so much! I really appreciate it:)
Kate @¡Hola! Jalapeño says
I can tell you know a thing or two about design this salad (and these photographs) are gorgeous!
Caitlin says
Wow, that salad really is a work of art...so beautiful!
Liane says
Hmmm this salad looks amazing! Gorgeous recipe and photos.
Cookin Canuck says
Your artistic eye definitely shines through in your photos...gorgeous! I love the idea of pureeing the carrot and onion with tamari, etc to make a dressing.
Meg says
Thank you SO much! I am hopelessly addicted to this dressing, I could just have it drizzled over lettuce and I would be happy.
Sam ~ itdoesnttastelikechicken.com says
This salad is GORGEOUS!! I am a total salad person, but mine aren't usually so thoughtfully presented, and I'm an artist! Fail. Haha! You're an inspiration Meg!
Meg says
Sam you are too funny! I think this salad proves that I need to get back into the studio more and play around with real art supplies...although playing with my food is just as much fun.
Jenn says
This is gorgeous!! And I'm sure it's delicious too! Yum!
Meg says
Thanks Jenn!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Loving all the colour in this salad! So yummy!
Meg says
Thanks Katrina!