Garden Salad with Honey Orange Dressing (The Best MS-Friendly Summer Salad)

A colorful mix of fresh vegetables, herbs, dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts tossed in a simple honey orange dressing — the salad my husband and I make all summer long.

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This garden salad with honey orange dressing is the salad my husband and I make all summer long — and I mean that literally.

I call this a garden salad, and I mean that literally.

Most summers, we grow a good portion of what goes into this bowl right outside our door — the basil, the cilantro, the tomatoes, the bell peppers, the green onions. There’s something about walking out to the garden and picking what you’re about to eat that makes a simple salad taste like something special.

This summer was a little different.

The rabbits came first. We put up rabbit fencing. Then the great horned owls moved in, which helped — until they flew away. Then the voles moved in. Voles look like mice with shorter tails, and they are relentless. We tried bird netting, smoke bombs, everything. Every morning we’d go out to the garden and find something else gone. The cilantro — gone. The basil — gone. The young onion sprouts — gone.

They never touched the tomato plants or the bell peppers, which we were grateful for. And they never touched the catnip. Our cat was very pleased about that. 😄

In the end, the voles won this year. We bought what we couldn’t grow.

But the salad? The salad was still delicious. Because what makes this particular garden salad special isn’t just the vegetables — it’s what goes on top. Dried cranberries. Chopped walnuts. And a simple honey orange dressing that ties everything together in a way that makes you forget you’re eating a salad.

My husband and I eat a big bowl of this regularly. It never gets old.

Why This Garden Salad Works for MS

A salad is only as good as what’s in it — and this one is built almost entirely from anti-inflammatory ingredients. The leafy greens, bell peppers, cucumbers, fresh herbs, and walnuts all contribute nutrients that support MS management in meaningful ways. The honey orange dressing adds vitamin C and natural sweetness without refined sugar. And the dried cranberries and walnuts turn what could be a plain side dish into something genuinely satisfying.

It’s also one of the most fatigue-friendly meals I make. No cooking required. Everything is raw, fresh, and assembled in minutes. On the days when standing at the stove isn’t happening, a big bowl of this salad with some leftover protein on the side is a complete meal.

🌿 Healing Tip: Bell peppers — especially red, orange, and yellow varieties — are among the most vitamin C-dense vegetables available. Vitamin C is a critical antioxidant for people with MS: it supports immune regulation, helps the body synthesize collagen for connective tissue, and significantly enhances iron absorption from the leafy greens in this salad. Red bell peppers in particular contain nearly three times the vitamin C of an orange, gram for gram. Using all three colors in this salad isn’t just beautiful — it’s one of the easiest ways to get a meaningful amount of vitamin C in a single meal.

Why Every Ingredient Earns Its Place

Mixed leafy greens: The base of the salad and the foundation of its nutrition. A mix of greens — whatever looks good at the store or whatever is growing in your garden — gives you folate, magnesium, vitamin K, and iron in every bite. I use whatever mix I have on hand, which changes throughout the summer.

Cucumber: Cool, hydrating, and mild — cucumber adds crunch and volume without overpowering the other flavors. I buy organic cucumbers specifically to avoid the wax coating that’s applied to conventionally grown cucumbers. Organic cucumbers have a better flavor, and you can eat the skin without concern.

Green onions: A gentle onion flavor that’s milder than regular onion and works beautifully raw in a salad. Green onions contain quercetin — a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties — and add a fresh bite that ties the other flavors together.

Grape tomatoes, halved: I cut them in half — not because it’s necessary, but because it releases a little of the juice and makes them easier to eat in a bite with everything else. Our tomato plants survived the vole invasion this year, which felt like a small victory. Most of the year I use grape tomatoes, but when our homegrown tomatoes are coming in, I use those instead. A fresh garden tomato sliced into wedges is in a completely different league from anything you buy at the store.

Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers: This is where the salad gets its color and a significant portion of its nutrition. I use all three colors for both the visual impact and the slight flavor differences between them — red is the sweetest, yellow the mildest, orange somewhere in between. Our bell pepper plants also made it through the summer unscathed.

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a bright, slightly citrusy flavor that pairs beautifully with the honey orange dressing. Some people are genetically predisposed to find cilantro soapy — if that’s you, simply leave it out. The salad is wonderful either way. You can also swap the cilantro with parsley.

Basil: Fresh basil adds a sweet, slightly peppery note that elevates the whole bowl. It’s one of those ingredients that’s subtle when you include it and noticeably missing when you don’t.

Dried cranberries: This is the ingredient that surprises people. A small handful of dried cranberries adds natural sweetness and a chewy texture that contrasts beautifully with the crisp vegetables. Always read the ingredient label — many brands add sugar, oils, and preservatives. I use Herbaila Dried Cranberries because the only ingredient is dried cranberries. I’ll link them here. Raisins work just as well if that’s what you have.

Chopped raw walnuts: The finishing touch that adds crunch, richness, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids to every bite. Raw walnuts are one of the best plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid — the same anti-inflammatory omega-3 found in ground flaxseed and chia seeds. A small handful is all you need.

The Dressing That Makes It Special

Here’s where this garden salad with honey orange dressing stops being ordinary: the dressing is simply fresh orange juice mixed with raw honey.

That’s it. No oil, no vinegar, no emulsifiers. Just the bright citrus sweetness of orange juice and the gentle floral sweetness of honey, stirred together and drizzled over everything.

I keep a jar of fresh-squeezed orange juice in the refrigerator — I juice several oranges at once and store it so it’s always ready. When I’m building the salad, I just pour what I need into a small bowl, add a spoonful of honey, stir, and drizzle. The whole dressing comes together in about thirty seconds.

The dried cranberries and the honey orange dressing work together to give this salad a sweetness that makes it feel more like a celebration than a side dish. My husband, who is not a salad person by nature, loves this one.

For the full honey orange dressing recipe and all the ways I use it, visit my honey orange glaze post.

Starting ratio: ½ cup fresh orange juice + 2 teaspoons raw honey. Adjust to taste.

A Note on Buying Organic

I buy organic produce for this salad whenever possible, and for two specific reasons.

The first is pesticides. Cucumbers, bell peppers, and leafy greens regularly appear on the Environmental Working Group’s lists of produce with higher pesticide residue. For anyone managing MS naturally — where gut health and reducing the overall toxic burden on the body matter — organic is worth it when you can.

The second reason is wax. Conventionally grown cucumbers and bell peppers are often coated with food-grade wax to extend their shelf life and make them look more appealing in the store. Organic produce isn’t waxed. The difference in flavor is noticeable, and you can eat the skin without any concern about what’s on it.

Easy Ways to Make It Your Own

Add protein. Leftover grilled chicken, wild-caught salmon, or hemp seeds stirred in make this a complete meal rather than a side dish.

Swap raisins for cranberries. If you don’t have dried cranberries on hand, raisins work beautifully — the sweetness is slightly different but equally good.

Add avocado. Sliced or cubed avocado adds healthy fat and creaminess that pairs wonderfully with the honey orange dressing.

Add apple slices. Thin slices of green or red apple add crunch and natural sweetness that works really well with the dried cranberries and walnuts.

Use whatever herbs you have. Fresh mint, parsley, or dill all work well in this salad. Use what’s growing or what looks good at the store.

Common Questions

Do I have to use all three colors of bell pepper? No — use whatever you have. The three colors together make the salad beautiful, but any bell pepper works. Red gives the most sweetness; green is more bitter and peppery.

Can I make this ahead of time? This garden salad with honey orange dressing keeps well if you store the components separately. The vegetables can be prepped and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two. Add the dressing, cranberries, and walnuts right before serving so nothing gets soggy or loses its crunch.

What if I don’t like cilantro? Leave it out — some people are genetically wired to find cilantro soapy and unpleasant. The salad is completely delicious without it. You can also swap the cilantro with parsley.

Is this recipe good during a flare? Yes — everything is raw and requires no cooking. On a hard day, the most tiring part is chopping the vegetables, which can be done sitting down. If you prep the vegetables when you’re feeling well and store them in the refrigerator, assembling the salad on a difficult day takes about two minutes.

Can I use bottled orange juice for the dressing? I personally never buy bottled orange juice because many brands contain citric acid, natural flavors, and added vitamin D. Fresh-squeezed is always the better choice — and if you have a jar already in the refrigerator from making the honey orange glaze, it’s ready to go.

Garden Salad with Honey Orange Dressing Ingredients

For the salad:

• 2–3 large handfuls mixed leafy greens
• 1 cucumber, sliced or chopped (organic)
• 3–4 green onions, sliced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (organic)
• 1 orange bell pepper, chopped (organic)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (organic)
• Small handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• Small handful fresh basil, torn or chopped
• ¼ cup dried cranberries (ingredient: dried cranberries only) or raisins
• ¼ cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped

For the honey orange dressing:

• ½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons raw honey, adjust to taste

This garden salad with honey orange dressing I come back to all summer — simple, colorful, and somehow more than the sum of its parts. If you try it, leave a comment below and let me know whether you used cranberries or raisins. I read every single one.

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