Persian Walnut Salad

 Persian Walnut Salad with Herbs, Cucumber and Radishes – a nutritious summer side to all your outdoor grilling and gatherings! Vegan adaptable!

Toasting the walnuts gives this Persian Walnut Salad an earthy depth and delicious umami flavor. Together with cool crunchy radishes, crisp cucumbers and mounds of fresh herbs like mint, dill, cilantro, chives and parsley this refreshing salad pairs incredibly well with grilled chicken, meat or fish.

A flavorful and easy summer side dish and one that can be made ahead, this Persian Walnut Salad is perfect for potlucks and gatherings!

This week I’ve partnered with California Walnuts to create this refreshing summer side dish.  The toasted walnuts give the salad a wonderful earthy crunch and delicious texture, not to mention added protein (4 grams/ounce), fiber (2 grams/ounce) and good, plant-based fats (13g/oz polyunsaturated and 2.5g/oz monounsaturated fat)and healthy plant-based fats.

Feel free to keep this Walnut Salad vegan or add feta for extra richness.

Walnuts are also cholesterol-free and are the only nut with a significant amount of plant-based omega-3 ALA (2.5 grams/ounce).

If making ahead for a potluck or gathering,  just layer the ingredients, keeping the herbs on top ( so they stay fresh) and toss with dressing right before serving!

The simple lemony dressing enhances all the flavors of the herbs.

Right before serving, taste and adjust lemon and salt one more time.

Give this Persian Walnut a try this week and see what you think!

RELATED: MAKE AHEAD VEGAN SALADS!

Persian Walnut Salad

Persian Walnut Salad with Cucumbers, Radishes, Mint, Dill, Cilantro and Parsley. Loaded up with fresh herbs this refreshing summer salad is the perfect side to summer grilling!

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 10
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: salad
• Method: tossed
• Cuisine: persian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts, lighted toasted
• 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced (use a mandolin) or sub halved cherry tomatoes when in season
• 5 Persian (or Turkish) cucumbers, thinly sliced ( or sub 1 large English cucumber)
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• ½ cup chopped mint
• ½  cup chopped dill
• 1/4 cup chopped tarragon or chives
• 1/2– 1 cup crumbled feta (optional)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Toast walnuts on a sheet pan, in a 350 F oven for 12-15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Cool.

Place cooled walnuts along with remaining ingredients in a  large bowl and toss well. Taste, adjust salt and lemon. If it tastes bland, add a little more salt.

It should have a refreshing lemony kick.

Notes

Feel free to make ahead, adding the dressing closer to serving time -so herbs stay nice and fresh looking.  Always re-taste before serving, adjusting salt and lemon.

Keywords: Persian salad, persian walnut salad, herb salad, persian walnut salad recipe, walnut salad recipes, persian salad recipes