Though it’s technically still winter, as those of you in snowy places know all too well, I’m already starting to crave the lighter & brighter veggie dishes that come with springtime. Radishes, snap peas, spring onions and baby greens have once again started to appear in our farmer’s markets (gotta love Southern California) and the produce is getting more colorful each week.

Here are a few of the salads we’ve enjoyed lately – each of them tossed with my favorite lemon vinaigrette.

To turn these into a heartier meal, we added roast chicken that I made at the beginning of the week (with this recipe – so easy and so good!) and/or hard boiled eggs or chickpeas. With a soft piece of bread & butter on the side, these salads are bright and fresh yet still comforting enough to eat when it’s cold.

Kale Salad with mango, celery, avocado, sunflower seeds and golden raisins.

Chopped Romaine salad with strawberries, goat cheese, toasted almonds, raisins and avocado.

Simple arugula salad with shaved parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Baby kale salad with radishes, snap peas, strawberries, celery and dried cranberries.

A few more winter & spring salads to try:

Grapefruit Salad with Avocado, Honey and Mint

Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Peanut Sauce

Avocado Citrus Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Quinoa Chickpea Veggie Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

What are your own favorite salad combos these days?