Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes ♥ April

Seasonal Soup and Salad recipes, ideas perfect for the month of April, all from A Veggie Venture's decade+ collection of 1000+ vegetable recipes. Looking for ideas for windows-open spring suppers? show-stopper salads for Easter gatherings? salads and salad dressings you will want to make again and again? Find your personal salad (and soup!) inspiration for April here ...

About April's Recipe Collection

April's recipes ride the cusp of late winter and early spring. All but one of April's recipes are vegetarian and many are vegan. All but one call for easy-to-find ingredients — and even the "hard to find" ingredient, dandelion greens, might be as close as your back yard! And then? There are four salad dressings and a challenge, me to you, to "never buy salad dressing again"!

Mostly, I'm struck how April's seasonal recipe collection is a "bridge" between late winter and spring: the salads are mostly more substantial and the soups are lighter. Yes, that's April for a seasonal cook. I hope you love this collection, please do enjoy!

A Year of Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes? We're Six Months In!

January February March April (you're here) May June July August September October November December

Quick Lists for April

(click right through or scroll down for more information on why I've chosen each recipe)

SALADS of the Month – April
Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad 20min/4hrs–ww1–pp1–sp2–fs0–green1–blue0–purple0–carb6 ♥
Seven-Layer Strawberry Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing 30min/30min–ww5–pp6–sp8–fs5–green5–blue5–purple5–carb15 ♥
Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad 10min/10min–ww3–pp4–sp5–fs4–green4–blue4–purple4–carb5 ♥
Greek Bread Salad with Toasted Pita Chips 20min/20min–ww1–pp1–sp2–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb4 ♥
How to Make a Roasted Beet Salad 5min/5min–ww1–pp2–sp3–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb7 ♥
Simple Zucchini Ribbon Salad 15min/15min–ww1–pp2–sp2–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb3 ♥
Never Buy Salad Dressing Again ♥
Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing 15min/15min–ww2–pp2–sp2–fs2–green2–blue2–purple2–carb0 ♥
Oil & Honey Dressing for Salad Greens 5min/5min–ww1–pp3–sp3–fs3–green3–blue3–purple3–carb9 ♥
German Salad Dressing 5min/5min–ww0–pp0–sp1–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb3 ♥
Homemade Greek Salad Dressing 10min/10min–ww1–pp1–sp1–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb1 ♥

SOUPS of the Month – April
Paleo Carrot Soup 40min/90min–ww2–pp3–sp5–fs4–green4–blue4–purple4–carb14 ♥
Weight Watchers Asian Zero Points Soup 35min/45min–ww1–pp2–sp2–fs0–green0–blue0–purple0–carb9 ♥
Cream of Dandelion Soup 30min/30min–ww8–pp9–sp13–fs9–green9–blue9–purple9–carb17 ♥

BONUS of the Month – April
Vegetables 101: What Are Crudites? ♥ How to Create a Colorful Instagram-Friendly Platter of Raw Vegetables

Want to Know More?

There's more info about each recipe below. Just scroll down!

Insider Tip

Click any image, you'll click right through to the recipe! Convenient, eh?

---

---

Seasonal Salads for APRIL

Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad 20min/4hrs–ww1–pp1–sp2–fs0–green1–blue0–purple0–carb6 ♥ Crunch & Color. Vegan. Weight Watchers Friendly. Crowd Pleaser! Party Favorite! Beautiful In a Buffet! One of the Best Vegetable Recipes of 2011! Black-Eyed Peas + Green Peas + Carrots + Celery + Tomato Bites + Herbs Let's start off with a couple of show-stoppers, shall we? So much color and texture going on here, it just pops your eyes and your taste buds. Make this salad all year long, it delivers the sense of summer no matter the time of year!

Seven-Layer Strawberry Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing 30min/30min–ww5–pp6–sp8–fs5–green5–blue5–purple5–carb15 ♥ Pinterest Loves It! Vegan. Perfect Party Fare. A Classic Turned Upside Down. One of Best Vegetable Recipes of 2012! Romaine + Strawberries + Kiwi + Mango + Avocado + Walnuts This is the Classic Seven Layer Salad gone all fruity for spring! And LOL, hey look! It's The Man With the Hands in the photo!

Smitten Kitchen's Avocado-Cucumber Salad 10min/10min–ww3–pp4–sp5–fs4–green4–blue4–purple4–carb5 ♥ Great Texture Contrast, Creamy & Crunchy. Versatile. Great Jumping Off Salad for Lots of Variations. "Positively Addictive." One of my Best Everyday Vegetable Recipes of 2015! Cucumber + Avocado + Lemon-y Mayo + Hot Sauce I can't stop making this summer-y salad, just a few pantry vegetables and a lemon- and Sriracha-spiked mayo. One year, I made a giant batch for an after-wedding brunch, an extra-special giant bowl that included both balls of wet honeydew and blueberries. It disappeared in a f-l-a-s-h. So it's great for parties but honestly, it's a weeknight-easy salad for home, too. And besides, you might not want to share.

Greek Bread Salad with Toasted Pita Chips 20min/20min–ww1–pp1–sp2–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb4 ♥ Kid Friendly. Great Crunch & Color. Weight Watchers Friendly. Carrot + Celery + Cucumber + Pita Bread Words to make a mom happy: "My kids devour this salad." It's the toasted pita chips, perhaps? perhaps? Whatever it takes, right?

How to Make a Roasted Beet Salad 5min/5min–ww1–pp2–sp3–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb7 ♥ Quick. Easy for One, Easy for Company. Make It a Meal. 90% Meal Prep. Roasted Beets + Feta Calling all beet lovers! You know who you are, right? :-) You're the ones who can't say to "no" to a beet salad on a restaurant menu. But are treating yourselves at home? Here's a simple way to start ...

Simple Zucchini Ribbon Salad 15min/15min–ww1–pp2–sp2–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb3 ♥ Spring Specialty. Low Cal. Low Carb. Weight Watchers Friendly. Young Zucchini + Young Yellow Squash + Simple Vinaigrette Beginning in April, the grocery store summer squash are noticeably smaller (and thus younger) than later in the summer. So sweet, so tender, these. Take advantage! This is a simple, simple salad, just very thinly sliced summer squash gently tossed in a vinaigrette. Sumptuous!

Never Buy Salad Dressing Again ♥ A Challenge, From Me to You! Inspiration + Determination + A Little Practice I swear, the #1 thing home cooks can do for themselves and their families is to ditch the gloppy, pricey, calorie-laden bottles of store-bought salad dressing. So back in 2008, I issued a little challenge. Ha! I even repeated it in new form for my friend Katie, who's joined with her daughter and other family members to build healthy eating and moving habits, see My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing, that's the "house" dressing right now. So how about a few simple ideas, just to start?

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing 15min/15min–ww2–pp2–sp2–fs2–green2–blue2–purple2–carb0 ♥ Classic DIY. Pantry Ingredients. Fast & Simple. Low Carb. Recipe Makeover. Garlic + Lemon Juice + Egg + Anchovies + Parmesan Who else loves a good restaurant Caesar salad? Me too. You won't believe how easy (and inexpensive) it is to make Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing. I updated this recipe a few days ago, it's now on a 3x5 so that I can make it again and again!

Oil & Honey Dressing for Salad Greens 5min/5min–ww1–pp3–sp3–fs3–green3–blue3–purple3–carb9 ♥ Super Simple. Make It On the Fly. No "Recipe" Required. Just Two Ingredients. One of the Best Vegetables Recipes of 2006! Good Oil + Honey + That's It! Everybody knows about "oil and vinegar" for salads, right? Heavens, there are even cute little cruets for the table, one for oil, one for vinegar. But here's a variation, oil and honey. Give it a shot!

German Salad Dressing 5min/5min–ww0–pp0–sp1–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb3 ♥ A Wartime Favorite. A Traveller Favorite. A Family Favorite. One of the Best Vegetables Recipes of 2008! Milk + Vinegar + Sugar Some times, the most unexpected recipe brings out the nostalgia in people. That's the way it's been for this simple German Salad Dressing. Be sure to read the comments for memories and many variations.

Homemade Greek Salad Dressing 10min/10min–ww1–pp1–sp1–fs1–green1–blue1–purple1–carb1 ♥ Pinterest Loves It! Pantry Ingredients. Great for Meal Prep. Feta + Seasonings Such a classic! A Greek feta-packed dressing will bring new life to your spring salads. We go through this like ... five kids and a bottle of pancake syrup.

Seasonal Soups for APRIL

Paleo Carrot Soup 40min/90min–ww2–pp3–sp5–fs4–green4–blue4–purple4–carb14 ♥ Low Cal. Naturally Gluten Free. Dairy Free. Paleo. Vegan. Carrot + Leek + Apple + Spices + Coconut Milk Ahhh, the pastels of spring, now in bowls of pale carrot soup! But there's nothing "pale" about the taste here, think fresh ginger, cardamom and coconut milk.

Weight Watchers Asian Zero Points Soup 35min/45min–ww1–pp2–sp2–fs0–green0–blue0–purple0–carb9 ♥ Weight Watchers Classic. All About the Asian Vegetables. Pinterest Loves It! One of the Best Vegetables Recipes of 2008! Bok Choy + Napa Cabbage + Mushrooms + Water Chestnuts + Bell Pepper Of all the famous Weight Watchers zero-point soups, this Asian-ingredient soup is most "all about the vegetables". I owe myself another big potful, asap! (And hmmm, I owe all of us a new photo ...)

Cream of Dandelion Soup 30min/30min–ww8–pp9–sp13–fs9–green9–blue9–purple9–carb17 ♥ Spring Classic. One of the Best Vegetables Recipes of 2007! Dandelion Greens + Milk + Cream Where to get dandelion greens? How about foraging in millions of back yards? Or, you know, Whole Foods. You could also substitute watercress or arugula. This is a small batch of rich soup, the kind we're probably happiest with in small servings, paired with a salad or small sandwich. Yummmm ...

Bonus Recipe for APRIL

Vegetables 101: What Are Crudites? ♥ How to Create a Colorful Instagram-Friendly Platter of Raw Vegetables Raw. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Vegan. Great Color and Freshness for Buffets Year-Round. A Pretty Mix of Your Favorite Vegetables. That's It! Even at parties, I'm struck how many people load up on fresh salads and vegetables — and then shun the desserts. Sure, you can buy a tray of vegetables at the grocery store. But the honest truth is that the vegetables are t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e and those dried-out and flavorless vegetables don't get eaten. If you're going to make a vegetable platter, make it a pretty one! This post has all the tips and veggie-happy ideas.

---

---

Still Hungry?

NEVER MISS A RECIPE!
Or next month's seasonal recipe collection just like this!

For "home delivery" of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here.
Once you do, new recipes will be automatically delivered straight to your e-mail In Box.

MORE SOUP & SALAD RECIPES

~ more soup recipes ~
~ more salad recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ more soup recipes ~
~ more salad recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2019 & 2020