The inspiration for this salad came from my CSA pickup one June night: four sweet and tender turnips, a large handful of snap peas, the first bunch of the season’s carrots, onion scapes, and a large bag each of salad greens and mizuna. It was obvious that I was going to make a salad for dinner, but it wasn’t until I laid everything out on the counter that I figured out what kind of dressing to pair with it. If the turnips are young (as opposed to those hard and pungent winter orbs) you don’t have to peel them; substitute an avocado for the turnips if you prefer. To turn this into a main-dish salad, add shreds of cooked chicken or cubes of teriyaki tofu.

Steps

1. In a small bowl, place the garlic, ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk together to blend, then slowly add the canola oil, whisking continuously until all the oil has been added. Set aside.
2. To make the salad, place the prepared turnips, carrots, peas, scapes, and salad greens in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss the salad; add most of the sesame seeds and toss again. Sprinkle the remaining seeds on top of the salad and serve.