To say that I don’t want to cook in the summertime is an understatement. It is hot and the idea of heating up my kitchen just doesn’t appeal to me. So we grill and/or eat a lot of salads this time of year. I had a rather unfortunate incident with our grill a few weeks ago. Our igniter button broke and I made the mistake of not sticking the match in right after I turned on the gas. It is a big no-no to let gas out for any length of time before lighting it up… The fireball that came shooting out was impressive. So impressive that I wondered aloud whether or not that could have burned the hair off my arm as I {in sloooooooooooow motion} looked down to see the my arm covered with tiny piles of brown ash. The pain from the burn kicked in a few minutes later… Needless to say, I’ve relinquished grilling duties to my hubby until that igniter gets replaced and sticking to salad or crockpot beans.
So today, I thought it would be fun to share with you all our family’s top 10 summer salads so you can embrace a little bit of cool in the midst of the heat! Plus this is a great way to involve your children in the kitchen – chopping and preparing veggies! I love to make salad dressings from scratch and avoid all of the preservatives and high sugar content that is found in most of the store-bought variety. The little bit of extra work is worth it in my opinion and yields options that are both tasty and healthy! Enjoy.
1. Caesar Garden Salad
We will eat this with or without grilled chicken. Given my current trepidation with the grill, we are currently sticking to just salad. I cut up romaine and whatever veggies I have on hand to make this yummy, nourishing salad. It is pretty adaptable. I now make it without mayo so Greta can eat it too. My sister taught me to view salads as the main course. As a result, we’ve made adjustments and our entire family will eat copious quantities of this salad! Here’s my super-secret salad dressing recipe!
| Caesar Salad Dressing | |
| *3-4 cloves garlic, crushed*3 tsp anchovy paste*1 ½ tsp salt*1 ½ tsp pepper*3 Tbs lemon juice | *1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce*4 dashes tobacco*1 ½ Tbs dijon mustard*2 Tbs mayo (opt)*3/4 c extra virgin olive oil |
| Mash garlic and salt into a paste. Add anchovies and grind to a paste. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, tobacco, mustard, mayo and season with pepper. Slowly whisk in oil until creamy. | |
2. Everyday Salad Dressing
We love this salad from The Nourishing Gourmet. We use this for an everything veggie salad, but we also love her Leon Salad and the Avocado and Apple Salad with this dressing. This is one of my three primary salad dressings that we rotate through.
3. Red-Wine Vinaigrette
My brother-in-law found this recipe and made it for Mother’s Day last year. I have a voracious appetite when I’m nursing and this was so yummy, I kept making myself salads for the rest of the day and drizzling this dressing on top. It’s tangy taste pairs well with red-leaf lettuce or butter lettuce and avocado. But I’ve used it for an everything veggie salad as well. Here’s the recipe:
| Creamy Red Wine Vinaigrette |
| *1 Tbs minced onion*1/3 c mayo*1/4 c red wine vinegar *1/4 c olive oil*salt and pepper to taste Whisk together onion, mayo, and vinegar in a bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until homogenous. Salt and pepper to taste. |
4. Strawberry Spinach Salad
I’ve blogged about this one before. My boys pound this one. I have not played around with using stevia or honey as an alternative for the sugar, but maybe this will be the summer that I figure out a way to make it even healthier. 🙂
5. Bacon and Egg Spinach Salad
This is another family favorite. The dressing is so tasty, I’ve even made it without the bacon or hard-boiled egg, but it is a lot more filling with the added protein. Here’s our recipe:
| Bacon, Egg and Spinach Salad | ||
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. In a small saucepan, combine the diced onion, sugar, black pepper, celery salt, mustard, vegetable oil, and vinegar. Whisk over high heat until all ingredients are well mixed and onions are translucent. Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, spinach, romaine, bacon and onion rings. Toss together. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat evenly. |
6. Thai Cabbage Salad
I craved cabbage in any form during my last pregnancy. When my sister introduced me to this salad, I took to eating it weekly. As long as I used Napa cabbage instead of the regular variety, my kids will eat it too. The Napa cabbage has a delicate taste and texture that makes it much more palatable for children.
| Thai Chicken Salad |
| *2 chk breasts*salt & pepper*2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage, thinly sliced*2 cups iceberg or romaine lettuce, thinly sliced*1/2 c. unseasoned rice vinegar*3 TB fish sauce
*1/3 tsp Asian sesame oil *1-2 TB seeded and minced Serrano chili (omit if children don’t like the spice) *1 avocado, pitted, peeled and finely diced *1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill for 7-10 minutes. Place cabbage and lettuce in a bowl. Stir together the vinegar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Add the chicken and stir to coat with the dressing. Add to the lettuce, cabbage and chili. Toss to combine. Add the avocado and gently turn the salad to distribute evenly. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. |
7. Asian Chicken Salad
This is another family favorite. My hubby and boys prefer this one in warm pita’s, but will eat it over a bed of lettuce too. My sister made this for my baby shower with Greta in little cabbage bowls. I was inspired and came home to try Cabbage ‘Boats’ with my boys. It flopped, so we stick to romaine or mixed greens.
| Asian Chicken Salad |
| *4 tablespoons mayonnaise *4 teaspoons soy sauce, or Braggs Liquid Aminos {a great soy sauce alternative} *1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil *2 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken breast *1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper *1/2 cup sliced green onions Pepper to taste
1. In small bowl stir together mayonnaise, soy sauce and sesame oil. 2. In medium bowl toss together chicken, bell pepper and onions. Add mayonnaise mixture. Toss to coat. Serve on crackers. Sprinkle with pepper. |
8. Sweet and Savory Chicken Salad
This is another family favorite. There is something about the mix of savory seasoning, swiss and grapes. I’ve also made this without the swiss cheese when I needed it to be dairy free and it was still tasty. I love to just eat this over a bed of mixed greens. Other times we’ll stuff it and some mixed greens inside a pita!
TIP: When chicken goes on sale, I buy a bunch and cook it all up at the same time. Then I chop it up and put it in bags for future chicken salads. That way I only have to cook once for several meals. Do this with a wet swim suit on and it makes the time spent in a warm kitchen seem not quite so warm…
| Sweet and Savory Chicken Salad | |
| *1 cup mayonnaise*1 tsp salt*1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning*1/2 tsp onion powder*1/2 tsp garlic powder*1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*2 TBS lemon juice
|
*3 cups diced, cooked chicken breast*1/2 cup finely chopped celery*1/2 cup chopped green onions*1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts,drained and chopped*1 1/2 cups diced Swiss cheese
*1 1/2 cups halved green grapes |
| In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, salt, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, and lemon juice.In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, green onions, water chestnuts, Swiss cheese, and grapes. Add the mayonnaise mixture, and stir to coat. Chill until serving. | |
9. Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
We love this and make a huge batch that will last for a couple of meals. As long as I pull out a portion before adding the corn, Greta can eat it too! Everyone in our family loves this. It is cool and refreshing, but still has a bit of Mexican tang to it!
10. Black-Eyed Bliss
This is another summer staple in our home. You can eat it warm or cold. It’s always a hit at potlucks and makes for great left-overs!
RELATED POST: 10 Tips for Helping Your Picky Eater
Linking up with the fabulous ladies from the iHomeschool Network and the 10 in 10 series.
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