I'm on a Summer Salad Kick and Need Some New Ideas!

[simonsmom]

broccoli,cauliflower,pepperoni,and chunks of cheddar cheese covered with italian dressing. it doesn't sound like much-but it is so yummy!

 

[MinnieTink]

We have two that we have often.
Taco salad: Layer romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber, shredded cheddar, ranch dressing and crushed tortilla chips. Then when serving add a bit of ground beef--or turkey---that you have cooked with the MacCormack taco seasoning packet.

The other is Spring mix, sliced strawberries, sliced pears or apples, toasted almond slivers, dried cranberries and bleu cheese crumbles. Then dress with Brianna's Blush Wine Vinegrette. Instead of putting the bleu cheese right in the salad, you can also make bleu cheese croutons. (thinly sliced baguette. Brush a olive oil. Salt and pepper. 350 for 5 minutes. Then take them out and add a little bleu cheese. Back in the oven to melt the cheese. Man they are so good.)

 

[bushdianee]

Macaroni Salad

Elbow or Rotini cooked
Hard boiled eggs 2 diced to mix in salad and 2 sliced to put on top
chopped onion (1 good sized onion)
2 cans of tuna fish, drained
Miracle Whip
Salt & pepper to taste
Mix together and enjoy!

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

Yum!!

I love fresh bell peppers in the summer.

So I usually make a salad with romaine lettuce, red/yellow/orange/green bell peppers, cucumber, tomatos, and some sunflower seeds and then top off with whatever dressing I am in the mood for.

But... all the salads posted sound really good so I am definately going to try some out!

 

[holycow]

just subscribing.

 

[minkydog]

I make a delicious Greek Village Salad. It's just sliced cucumbers, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with oil & vinegar and serve. Or put it in the fridge for later--it keeps real well.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I just made Taboule this week from recipezar which was yummy.

I often make a big pot of Goya lentil soup with diced tomatoes thrown in that I cook for 40 minutes then chilll for one of my favorite salads... it can still be warmed as a soup.

1 can of black beans with 1 package of frozen sweet corn mixed with vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, diced red onion and fresh cilantro

fresh tomatoes with fresh basil drizzled with Wishbone Balsamic vinaigrette.

escarole with cannelleni beans, saute the beans then add fresh garlic (do not burn garlic or it gets bitter, best to even avoid browning it) first then wilt the leaves on top

baby bock choy with chick peas- make like escarole (swiss chard and broccoli rabe also made the same way)

 

[minniecarousel]

My favorite summer salad is a chopped salad. The recipe was originally from Martha Stewart's site.

Cube: jicama, cucumber, celery, peppers (red & green) & tomatoes. Add canned garbanzo beans. Toss with a light vinegar & olilve oil.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

Here are two salads my family loves. Both go great with BarBQue.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.


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Fiesta Cornbread Salad

1 (9 oz) pkg cornbread mix 1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise 1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup sour cream 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 env. Ranch salad dressing mix 2 cans Mexican corn, drained
2 med. tomatoes, chopped 2 cans pinto beans w/ jalapeno, drained

Prepare and bake the cornbread using package directions. Let stand until cool. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream and dressing mix in a bowl; mix well. Toss the tomatoes, bell pepper and green onions in a bowl. Crumble 1/2 the cornbread in to a 9 X 13 cake pan. Layer with 1 can of the pinto beans, 1/2 the tomato mixture, 1 cup of the cheese and 1 can of the corn. Spread with 1/2 the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients. Chill, covered for two hours. Serves 12-15.

 

[spacemermaid]

So I'm not the only one who's gone salad crazy lately

My favorite right now is Caesar salad made with butter lettuce instead of Romaine, with homemade dressing & homemade garlic croutons. Oh, and fresh grated Parmesan...so yummy!

 

[ugadog99]

My girls love Broccoli Slaw and ESPN Club's cucumber salad. Neither of these are main dish salads, though. You would need to add some protein with them. However, both are salads that we make throughout the year, but we always have them around for the warmer months.

Broccoli Slaw
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
seasoning pakcets from ramen noodles

1 pkg broccoli slaw mix
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkg chicken ramen noodles (broken up)

Mix oil, sugar, and vinegar. In large bowl, mix together broccoli mix, almonds, and broken ramen noodles. Add dressing and toss. Let stand for a few hours.
**I like green onions in mine. No set amount-just what you want or like.**


ESPN Cucumbers (ok this isn't the exact recipe but very close)

In covered container, combine 1/4 cup vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt. Add 1 large cucmber, thinly sliced, and 1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings. Toss to coat with marinade. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 4 days, stirring occasionally.

 

[ugadog99]

So I'm not the only one who's gone salad crazy lately

My favorite right now is Caesar salad made with butter lettuce instead of Romaine, with homemade dressing & homemade garlic croutons. Oh, and fresh grated Parmesan...so yummy!

Please share your dressing and crouton recipes!

 

[Hedy]

Thee are vegetarian, and portable:
Orangette;s Chickpea Salad
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I use bottled)
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
A pinch of salt
¼ cup loosely packed shredded Parmigiano Reggiano

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir gently to mix. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately, or chill, covered, until serving.

Seashells and Sand
Cook equal amounts of quinoa (a complete protein) or couscous, and tiny shell pasta. Mix together

Petite Pasta Salad
One 7 oz. package tiny pasta stars or alphabet shapes
1 cup frozen corn
8 oz. sugar snap or snow peas, cut into bite-size pieces
One cucumber, peeled or not as desire, cut into bite-size pieces
One tomato, seeded and diced
½ a red or orange bell pepper, diced
One 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, rinsed and drained
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, to taste (the smaller amount of vinegar may appeal more to children with sensitive palates)
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just barely tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. During the last minute, add the frozen corn and chopped sugar snap or snow peas.

Drain the pasta, corn, and peas and rinse well with cold running water. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the pasta, corn, and peas with the rest of the vegetables and fresh herbs.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegars, salt, and white pepper. Pour over the pasta salad and toss together until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to taste.

 

[spacemermaid]

Please share your dressing and crouton recipes!

Croutons are super easy: take half a loaf of your choice of bread (half a loaf because any more than that won't fit into a frying pan & you'll need to fit the bread cubes in one) and cut it into 1" by 1" squares. They don't have to be perfect squares; it's actually better if they're kind of rough looking . Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the oven's heating up, put about 1/2 a cup of olive oil in a large frying pan. Peel and mince or grate 2 large garlic cloves. Sautee' the garlic until it's cooked but not browned. Put the bread cubes in the pan with the garlic/oil mixture and try to coat them all as evenly as possible.

Now that the oven's heated, put the bread cubes into a baking pan; no specific size, just big enough so they don't overlap. I use a half-sheet-cake pan

Put the bread cubes in the oven for about 15 minutes. After that, open the oven to check to see if they're toasty or not. If not, leave them in another few minutes. If so, turn them over and toast the other side. There's really no exact science as to when they'll be done; you have to check on them every few minutes...but it's worth it, you won't want store-bought croutons ever again!

For the dressing, I use the original recipe...just do a Google search for "Cardini's Caesar dressing recipe", follow that, top the salad with some freshly grated Parmesan, and you're good to go!