Spring Pea Salad with Cruncy Nut Topping

 As seen on You Tube    Wyse Guide Blog

Ingredients

For the crunchy nut topping

• ▢1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢½ cup Marcona almonds chopped
• ▢¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ▢2 tbsp sesame seeds
• ▢1 tbsp honey
• ▢¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢¼ tsp black pepper

For the dressing

• ▢½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢3 tbsp buttermilk
• ▢1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ▢2 tbsp fresh dill minced
• ▢2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
• ▢1 tbsp minced shallot
• ▢2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢¼ tsp black pepper

For the salad

• ▢1-2 large heads romaine lettuce washed and dried
• ▢1 ½ cups frozen and thawed peas
• ▢4 large hardboiled eggs sliced
• ▢4 oz feta cheese

Instructions 

For the crunchy nut topping

• Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Add the almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture together and cook, turning the heat down as needed to ensure the mixture doesn't burn. Cook until the mixture clumps together and the skillet looks dry, 4-6 minutes.
• Pour the mixture onto parchment paper and let cool.

For the dressing

• In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, dill, parsley, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

For the salad

• Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and toss with the preferred amount of the dressing. Add the peas over the greens, sprinkle with the prepared eggs, and add more dressing as needed. Top with crumbled feta and the prepared nut mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes

• When choosing nuts for the crunchy nut topping, note whether they are roasted and salted. If you purchase salted nuts, leave out the added salt in the topping recipe. Once the nuts are toasted and removed from the heat, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
• Once the dressing has been mixed together, taste it for flavoring! Use a bit of the lettuce to sample the dressing, checking for salt and acidity levels.
• Rather than adding the salad dressing at the very end, add it in layers. After the lettuce has been added, drizzle with some of the dressing. Toss the lettuce to make sure it is coated. Then add more salad dressing at the end to balance everything ou