5 Refreshing Spring Salads

Spring is in the air and that means that our love for food is too! Since we're all a little salad crazy, I figured I'd push this healthy habit a bit more with some Ryan-Gosling status good-lookin' spring salads. Not only are these Instagram material -  but they are 100% guaranteed to please your taste buds with the flagrant mix of fruits with salad greens and some original dressings.

Here's our pick for 5 refreshing spring salads:

1. Pear, Pomegranate and Spinach Salad

• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans; toasted
• 3/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 85g feta cheese; crumbled
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 2 pears (firm but ripe); cored and sliced
• 255g baby spinach

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper, to taste

The preparation is as easy as it can get! Just whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl to blend well. Place the salad ingredient in a larger salad bowl and drizzle with desired amount of dressing and toss the ingredients together.

2. Spicy Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 225g raw shrimp; tails removed
• ½ tbsp butter
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1½ cups sliced avocados (2 small)
• 1 cucumber
• 4 cups chopped spinach or baby kale
• fresh chopped cilantro for topping
• peanuts for topping

• 1 small piece of fresh peeled ginger
• 3 tbsp oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice (more to taste)
• 2 tbsp agave syrup
• 1½ tbsp white miso (it's like a paste - you can buy it at many regular grocery stores)
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• ¼ tsp salt

For full cooking instructions of this funky fresh salad, click here.

3. Potato & Peas Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing

What you'll need:

For the salad -

• 1 small shallot; cut into thin half moons
• 1/4-1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 8 small new potatoes
• 4-5 big handfuls of pea shoots
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas
• 1-2 cups snap peas; cut in half down the center
• handful of snow peas; chopped
• additional sprouts if you feel it
• extra dill to garnish
• more salt + pepper

For the creamy dill dressing -

• 1/3 cup mixed raw cashews + sunflower seeds (about 3/4 of that should be cashews); soaked in water for at least 2 hours
• 1/2 a lemon; juiced
• splash of vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp – 1tbsp agave syrup
• splash of water (enough to get the motor of your blender moving–around 3 tbsp)
• fat pinch of salt
• lots of black pepper
• 3-4 sprigs of dill; leaves removed and chopped

For full cooking instructions of this original salad, click here.

 4.White Bean Salad with Peas and Mint

What you'll need:

• 1 can or 1½ cups white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup chopped fresh mint
• 1 scallion; thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• zest and juice from half a lemon
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

For full cooking instructions of this spring colored salad, click here.

5. Mandarin Pasta Spinach Salad with Teriyaki Dressing

What you'll need:

For the salad - 

• 225g bowtie pasta noodles
• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ½ cup raisins
• ⅓ cup cashews or pine nuts (such as Diamond of California)
• canned mandarin oranges; drained
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves; roughly chopped

• ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce (the thicker, the better!)
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar (may sub apple cider vinegar)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder (if you have it)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup oil (such as vegetable oil, canola oil, olive oil)

For full cooking instructions of this tangy salad, click here.