berry & arugula salad with creamy mint dressing

This morning I returned from the greenmarket with strawberries and blueberries, arugula, shell peas, and a giant bunch of fresh mint. There's no mistaking it, we're in the thick of June. And our first heat wave of the season: ninety-eight and humid in New York yesterday, and it's getting up there today, too. I don't have much desire to do any official cooking. My mind is on berries and greens.

Shell peas. I can handle turning on a burner when it's for a quick blanch. These boiled in salted water for a couple of minutes and then went into an ice bath. Salad-ready.

Fresh spearmint for a creamy salad dressing.

The dressing. A dreamy shade of green, infused with fresh mint, lemon, and coriander seed, it's the perfect counterpart to the spicy greens and sweet berries and shell peas. You bet I could drink this straight out of a mason jar (it does bear an uncanny resemblance to my superpowered green smoothie) ... but drizzling it over a salad is nice, too.

Process in a blender until smooth and creamy:

• 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used a thinner style yogurt from Ronnybrook; if using a very thick yogurt such as Greek, you can thin out the dressing with a little water or lemon juice)
• 1/3 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
• 2 Tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• a few grinds of black pepper (to taste)

{This recipe yields about 3/4 cup of dressing; store the leftover dressing in the fridge and use within 2 to 3 days.}

Assembly. A few handfuls of arugula seasoned with a little salt and black pepper, a scattering of sweet shell peas, lots of juicy berries, a drizzle of mint dressing. My idea of a perfect June lunch.

I was planning to garnish the salad with slivers of homemade preserved lemon peel -- I recently made up a fantastic batch according to the Tigress' recipe -- but hunger got the best of me and they never made it out of the jar. A sprinkling of toasted, chopped nuts would be a welcome addition, too.