Garden Salad with Feta & Toasted Seeds
Fresh, colourful, and full of texture, this Garden Salad with Feta & Toasted Seeds is the kind of salad that works with almost any meal. Crisp romaine and leafy greens are layered with crunchy vegetables, sweet dried cranberries, toasted seeds, and creamy feta cheese, all tossed in a simple maple herb vinaigrette. Bright, hearty, and just the right balance of fresh and comforting.
Prep time
15 min
Cook time
5 min
Serves
Ingredients
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The Salad
- 1 headromaine lettuce, chopped
- 4–5 cupsloose leaf lettuce or spring greens
- 1 cupsliced cucumbers
- 1 cupsliced coloured cherry tomatoes
- 1 cupshredded or thinly sliced carrots
- 4–5radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 stalkscelery, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cupdried cranberries
- ¼ cuppumpkin seeds
- 2 tbspsunflower seeds (optional but highly recommended)
- ½ cupcrumbled feta cheese
Maple Herb Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cupolive oil
- 3 tbspred wine vinegar
- 2 tbspmaple syrup
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tspItalian seasoning
- to tastesalt and black pepper
Ingredients
The Salad
- 1 headromaine lettuce, chopped
- 4–5 cupsloose leaf lettuce or spring greens
- 1 cupsliced cucumbers
- 1 cupsliced coloured cherry tomatoes
- 1 cupshredded or thinly sliced carrots
- 4–5radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 stalkscelery, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cupdried cranberries
- ¼ cuppumpkin seeds
- 2 tbspsunflower seeds (optional but highly recommended)
- ½ cupcrumbled feta cheese
Maple Herb Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cupolive oil
- 3 tbspred wine vinegar
- 2 tbspmaple syrup
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1 tspItalian seasoning
- to tastesalt and black pepper
Instructions
Toast the Seeds
- 1
Place pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3–5 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and cool.
Make the Dressing
- 1
In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until fully combined.
Build the Salad
- 1
In a large bowl, layer the romaine, loose leaf lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, radishes, celery, cranberries, toasted seeds, and feta cheese.
Dress & Serve
- 1
Drizzle with dressing just before serving and toss gently to combine.
Melissa's Notes
Toasting the seeds adds so much flavour and crunch to the salad. Sunflower seeds work beautifully here without feeling overpowering. For extra protein, add grilled chicken or chickpeas. This salad keeps best if the dressing is added right before serving. The maple herb vinaigrette has the perfect balance of tangy, savoury, and slightly sweet.
Nutrition Information
Per serving — based on 6 servings
Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used.
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