After creating the big Tutorial Tuesday post last week for How-to Make Nut Butters, I have, as you can imagine, been finding myself needing to get very creative with all of the different nut butters I have in my fridge. A girl can only have so much nut butter on bananas or in her smoothies. I have been having a lot of fun especially, creating savory unexpected recipes with the different nut and seed butters.

I thought how wonderful a salad dressing made with a creamy nut butter sounded and I got to looking at what I had on hand to get creative with. I have always loved honey dijon dressings and those flavors all match so wonderfully with the almond butter. This dressing is thick, creamy and zingy with a bright freshness from the fresh orange juice (from our own tree, mind you). This dressing has quickly become a favorite around here. I have already made it three times since last week.

I was so insanely proud of myself for coming up with such a creative and unique dressing that I was sure no one had ever made! I was planning on what to call it – should it be “honey dijon almond butter dressing” or “almond butter honey dijon dressing” or maybe just “almond honey mustard dressing”. I turned to Google Trends for a look see on what words are more popular for searching and ultimately it was all about the same. I ended up then Googling to see if anyone had done something similar, and blammo  – I am not nearly as creative as I thought. Someone had already done something similar – wah wah! Guess I am not so creative, after all. It’s actually kinda crazy how often this happens in the food blogging world, it is kind of amazing. At any rate, I guess great minds think a like, right?

I don’t know about you guys, but once spring hits – I seriously find myself craving anything and everything green! I want to gobble up every spring lettuce and baby green that I can get my hands on. I have been living on big green salads as of late. I actually had salad for breakfast yesterday. Weird, I know – right? I really and truly find myself feeling so much better when I am getting more fresh, raw greens, it’s like an energy boost better than any caffeine drink on the market. This Spring Green Salad is a beautiful celebration of everything that is in season right now, so feel free to get creative with what is in season near you.

[print_this]Spring Green Salad with Honey Dijon Almond Butter Dressing – Gluten-free and Dairy-free with Vegan Option
serves 2 to 4 (depending on if it’s being served as a side or a main)

Honey Dijon Almond Butter Dressing

• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond butter (I used homemade)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small shallot, very finely minced – about 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 teaspoons honey (or maple syrup)
• 1/4 teaspoon teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Add all of these ingredients to a medium sized bowl. With a fork or a whisk, mix up the dressing very well, until smooth and creamy. This can also be made in a blender if you’d like, but I am too lazy to pull it out for dressings.

Spring Green Salad

• 4 cups mixed baby spring greens – I used a blend of baby lettuces, baby spinach, baby chard, mizuna, frisee, radicchio and arugula*
• 1 large handful organic pea shoots
• 3 thick stalks of asparagus, peeled into ribbons (with a vegetable peeler)
• 1 small bunch of fresh chives, thinly chopped

Add the greens and pea shoots to a large bowl and mix well to incorporate. Top with the asparagus rubbons and fresh chives. Drizzle with the Honey Dijon Almond Butter dressing (recipe above). Serve immediately.

*feel free to use whatever greens you like and what’s in season near you right now.  [/print_this]