We’ve had our usual cyclic spring weather in Montana, with a high of 76°F on Sunday followed by nights in the 20s. It makes me appreciate even more the first spring greens and herbs that eagerly pop through the sun-warmed soil and then tough out the crisp nights and frosty mornings. As I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon, my first spring salads mainly consist of store-bought ingredients and sneak in handfuls of whatever garden treats appear first for fresh pops of green.

I make variations on these spring salads throughout the growing season, transitioning to homegrown summer vegetables and herbs as the weeks pass. But there’s something special about the ones made with those first perennial and self-seeded herbs and greens, the plants that bravely leaf out through 50°-plus temperature swings.

Learn more about making spring salads and get the complete recipe for Warm Quinoa and Feta Salad in my column.

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Twice as Tasty

Warm quinoa salad can be adapted to whatever is in your pantry and as the seasons change. Instead of quinoa, substitute pearl barley, farro, or even a small pasta like orzo, adjusting the liquid and cooking time as needed for the grain type. In spring, you can replace the arugula with spinach, add asparagus and snap peas, and boost the fresh herbs to include mint and cilantro. In summer, use snap beans and sweet peppers or add cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion and serve the salad cold. Stretch the salad into fall with kale, carrots, and golden beets.

You can also create a more filling one-dish salad by mixing in seared shrimp or grilled salmon. For a vegan version, substitute chickpeas or kidney beans and toasted walnuts for the egg and cheese.

To boost the flavor in this recipe, I cook the quinoa in Homemade Vegetable Stock (or Shrimp Stock if I’m adding fish). But the real flavor booster is high-quality feta. Homemade Dry-Salted Feta beats store-brand blocks or crumbles every time. If you’re new to making cheese, you can become more comfortable with the basic processes in one of my hands-on cheese workshops.

The ripeness of the mango also makes a big difference in taste. You can learn more about choosing the best mangos in one of my recent pieces for Taste of Home. It includes a mango lassi recipe, a delicious way to use extra mango if you luck into a sale or batch of ripe ones. I have other recipes that can use mango here on the blog; you’ll find them through the recipe index. Read more of my work off the blog here.

Want more Twice as Tasty recipes? Get my books! Click here to order a personally signed, packaged, and shipped copy of The Complete Guide to Pickling directly from me. I also share tasty ways to use pickles in The Pickled Picnic; it’s only available here.