Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Summer And Winter Favorite Salad
Enjoy this crisp refreshing Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette all year long. It is beautiful and perfect for any outdoor party or Holiday dinner. The lemon basil vinaigrette pares up nicely with most foods and complements the sweet tangy raspberries and the perky flavorful ribbon cucumbers. I especially like the salted pistachios with this combo. Most cucumber salads come with walnuts but I find the special flavor of salted pistachios an extra zip to this dish.
How To Make Raspberry Cucumber Salad
I have had this salad before but I made this recipe into my own creation and I am really enjoying it. Who can’t resist organic fresh raspberries and fresh organic cucumbers? All this on a bed of baby greens with fresh peas, julienne sliced green onions and salted pistachios.
The beauty in this salad is how it is arranged and cut. Of course you can cut the veggies any way you want but if you want it to look elegant and colorful and looking like ribbons. Then you want the simple vegetable Fullstar peeler or a simple vegetable peeler will work as well. The Fullstar peeler cuts the cucumber a little thicker than a regular peeler. I used the Fullstar for the ribboned cucumber in these photos. I used English cucumbers because the seeds are so small and easy to slice. Just hold the cucumber in the palm of your hand and the bottom of the cucumber resting the the cutting board and slice downward (be mindful of your fingers). The cucumber will slice in these beautiful ribbons.
Arrange the cucumber ribbons on your salad bowl or plate over the mixed baby greens. Add the long thinly sliced julienne style green onions to the arrangement. Top with fresh organic green peas, salted pistachios and the fresh organic raspberries. Lastly lightly drizzle the homemade Lemon Basil Vinaigrette over the whole salad. Use sparingly, guest or family can add more vinaigrette to the salad as they desire.
How To Make Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Making the Lemon Basil Vinaigrette for the Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios is quite easy. I use the zest of one organic lemon. Try not to get too much of the white in the peel into the zest. The white can make the zest bitter. I use the juice of the same lemon I am zesting, half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of dried tarragon, 2 tablespoons of agave sweetener, salt, pepper and mix it all together in a blender or smoothie blender cup. Then I add 4 to 6 large basil leaves and blend slightly to still see bits of the basil in the vinaigrette.
Of course you can add or subtract any ingredients to this dressing. For instance when I have made this vinaigrette before I have added more fresh basil or more dried tarragon. Dried tarragon is slightly lemony so it blends well with the lemon. I am a basil type of girl myself. I can eat a lot of it before I get tired of it. Just be mindful that fresh basil does not stay fresh for very long so use it up fast or buy it the day before you plan to use it.
I will be trying to create more of these lovely berry and veggie salads this year. They are turning out to be some of my favorite salads. So refreshing and crisp! I hope you like this version of my Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. Enjoy!
Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios and Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 Blender or Smoothie Blender
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Vegetable Peeler or Fullstar peeler
- 1 Salad serving plate or bowl
- 1 Salad vinaigrette server
Ingredients
Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios
- 1 small bag Organic Baby Mixed Greens
- 1 medium Organic English Cucumber
- ¼ cup Fresh Raw Peas
- 2 Organic Green Onions
- ¼ cup Roasted Salted Pistachios
- ½ cup Fresh Organic Raspberries
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 Zest of 1 Organic Lemon
- 1 Juice of That Organic Lemon
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Agave Sweetener
- ½ tsp Dried Tarragon, optional
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 4 to 6 Large Basil Leaves
Instructions
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
- In a blender or smoothie cup blender add the lemon zest of one organic lemon and use that same organic lemon for the juice of one lemon. Add the olive oil, agave sweetener, dried tarragon, salt and pepper. Blend in the blender until well blended. Then add the 4 to 6 large fresh basil leaves and slightly blend so that you can still see the small bits of basil in the vinaigrette.
- Pour the vinaigrette into a serving container and store in the refrigerator for at least a 30 minutes before serving.
Raspberry Cucumber Salad with Pistachios
- In a large plate or salad bowl add a base of baby mixed greens (about 3 cups) On top of that add the julienned cut green onions. With a peeler cut long strips of an English cucumber. Take these strips and arrange them like ribbons intertwined with the julienned green onions or arrange how you feel the salad will look best in your dish or bowl. Top with the fresh peas, roasted salted pistachios and then lastly the fresh organic raspberries. Add a little Lemon Basil Vinaigrette to the top of the salad and set aside the rest of the vinaigrette for guest and family to add to their own salad.
- Enjoy!