Thursday, June 25, 2015

summer salads

Seems that in the summer, I'm always looking for something light, healthy and quick to eat for lunch. Am I the only one who opens up the refrigerator several times, hoping something good magically appears? ;-) So that actually happens, I did have to do some prep work to make several salads to keep in the fridge, but in the long run, it was worth it. These would make great side dishes for a heavier dinner or to take to a barbeque, too. And...they're all easy-peasy to make.

CUCUMBER RED ONION SALAD
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced and then cut into 1" pieces
Fresh herbs of your choice (dill, chives, oregano, basil, parsley), to taste
2 T. cold-pressed olive oil
1 T. white wine or white balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper, to taste

In medium-sized bowl, toss together cucumber, onion and herbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss until combine.


 ROASTED POTATO SALAD
1 lb. each red and yellow potatoes
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 T. cold-pressed olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
Fresh herbs of your choice (dill, tarragon, chives, oregano, thyme), to taste

This is a wonderful potato salad to make early in the day since it requires turning on the oven to roast the potatoes first. Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub potatoes and cube into 1" pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, turning potatoes after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Put potatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the cold-pressed olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, and herbs. Pour over potatoes and stir gently to coat all the potatoes. Add more salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.


 MIXED CABBAGE AND BROCCOLI SALAD
One package Rainbow Salad (red cabbage, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)
1 cup broccoli, cut into small pieces
2 T. cold-pressed olive oil
1 T. white wine or rice wine vinegar
1 navel orange, juiced
Raw honey (approx 1 tsp) or stevia, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, toss together the Rainbow salad and broccoli. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, honey/stevia and salt and pepper. Pour over salad and mix gently.
 

 Nom-nom. Enjoy!
 
 

9 comments:

  1. All of your salads looks SO good---I'm Pinning all of them. The roasted potato salad looks awesome. I love that you make your own dressings very simply.

    I caught up on your last post. Your garden is looking awesome!! So much basil. But you do have to use quite a bit in most recipes.

    Thanks so much for your nice comments on my post, maybe an overdo of family pics but that's rare, I think.

    Happy Summer. Do you think we could plan for you to visit? I would love that and since it would be a long drive you are welcome to bring a friend. The more the merrier!

    Jane x

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  2. Thanks for sharing...these look delicious!

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  3. They all sound really good, Melanie. Thank you for sharing. I love cold summer salads. Yesterday for lunch, I made a pasta salad with cannellini beans and tuna, with chopped tomatoes, basil and some Italian dressing. It was thrown together with what I had on hand and it was good. I like to use a lot of beans and chicken or tuna to offset the vast amounts of pasta my kids would eat if I let them. :)

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  4. These all look and sound delicious, Melanie. I love cucumbers in the summer. xo Laura

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  5. Your salads look really good, and I love salads in summer with everything being so fresh. Are you as tired as I am with all the rain...gosh nothing in the garden is popping since we've had such little sun. My apologies for not sending you the giveaway dish you won...I'm putting it in the mail tomorrow. So accept my apologies it's just been so darn crazy and I'm getting old... Not what I use to be!

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  6. I am loving salads at the moment, it is the perfect time of year for them isn't it! The roasted potato salad sounds especially good!!! xx

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  7. I like potato salad, but I have never made it. No one in my family likes it. And, I was just thinking that it is interesting that no one ever makes potato salad for our street pot lucks.

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  8. I really lighter fare in the summertime with salads at the top of the list. These recipes look sooo good!
    Mary Alice

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  9. These recipes looks great for the hot summer.

    Have a great holiday weekend ~ FlowerLady

    P.S. Thanks for your kind comment on my blog and for becoming a follower. I am sorry for the loss of your son. I look forward to visiting here.

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind comment - I read and appreciate each one!