Chilled Veggies Recipe

Make dressing

Peel and finely mince the garlic clove. In a medium bowl or jar, combine lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Whisk briefly to combine. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify, or put lid on jar and shake vigorously until dressing is well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more salt, lemon, or honey to balance.

Chill dressing in refrigerator while preparing vegetables to let flavors meld (10–15 minutes).

Prep vegetables

Wash all vegetables thoroughly under cold water. Pat dry with a clean towel or use a salad spinner for greens.

Trim the cucumber ends, halve lengthwise and scoop out seeds if very seedy. Slice into 1/4-inch half-moons (about 2 cups).

Stem and thinly slice the mini sweet peppers into 1/4-inch rings or strips (about 1 to 1 1/4 cups).

Halve the grape or cherry tomatoes. Trim radish tops and bottoms and thinly slice them into rounds.

Peel and thinly slice the red onion. If raw onion is strong, soak the slices in cold water for 5 minutes and drain to mellow the flavor.

If your sugar snap peas are raw, blanch them: bring a small pot of water to a boil, add peas for 30–45 seconds until bright green and slightly tender, then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.

Place mixed salad greens or baby arugula in a large mixing bowl. Add prepared cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, radishes, red onion and blanched peas.

Toss and chill

Pour about half of the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently to coat. Taste and add more dressing only if needed — you want the vegetables lightly dressed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20–30 minutes to serve well chilled and allow flavors to marry. If serving later, keep remaining dressing refrigerated.

Chop fresh dill and parsley finely. Sprinkle herbs over the chilled salad and gently toss to distribute.

Scatter toasted sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts across the top for crunch. If using, sprinkle crumbled feta evenly.

Serve the chilled vegetables immediately, or keep covered and refrigerated up to 24 hours. If storing longer, keep dressing separate and add just before serving.