Dinner tonight! Fresh herb salad with seeds

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

If you’re looking to add a lot of flavor to your salad without the calories and fat you find in most dressings, consider adding fresh herbs to the mix. This salad combines fresh mint, parsley, cilantro and basil leaves, along with salad greens, radishes and crunchy sunflower and sesame seeds. Toss it with a light dressing brightened with orange and lemon juice and sweetened with a little honey, and dinner is served. The whole thing comes together in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy!

For more quick-fix dinner ideas, check out our video recipe gallery here. Food editor Russ Parsons and Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter show you how to fix a dozen dishes in an hour or less.

ALSO:

Mac ‘n’ cheese recipes galore!

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

-- Noelle Carter
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter

Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times

Fresh herb salad with seeds

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1 1/2 cups Italian parsley leaves

1 cup cilantro leaves

3/4 cup basil leaves, preferably purple basil, torn into pieces

4 cups chilled baby salad leaves

2 to 3 radishes, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of half lemon

Juice of half orange

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, toss together the mint, parsley, cilantro and basil, along with the salad leaves and sliced radishes.

2. Toast the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds separately in a dry frying pan over low heat, stirring frequently until just golden. Mix them together and add three-fourths of the mixture to the salad (save the rest for garnish), and toss to mix.

3. Combine the olive oil, lemon and orange juice, honey, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar and shake until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. This makes about one-third cup dressing.

4. Just before serving, transfer the salad to a large platter, sprinkle over the dressing, and garnish with the remaining sunflower and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 141 calories; 4 grams protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 176 mg sodium.