Does anyone have a favorite summer salad recipe they would like to share? Now that it is so hot, I find myself wanting to have a cold side dish with dinner. I am tired of macaroni and potato salad and I have already worn out tomatoes Caprese!

Paul makes a wonderful salad with all kinds of great stuff. I'll get the recipe from him and post tonight. You can omit the cilantro as I know you hate it.

Look at you miss 9999...

Yes Robert, I should of put that in my request, cilantro-free recipes!!

Shred cabbage, add rice vinegar and olive oil (whatever proportions make you happy) and cubed tofu. Everyone but Karen can add chopped cilantro on top. This makes a great, light lunch salad! All that cabbage fills you up and the tofu is good for you! Best of all it's easy and quick to make!

Bonnie, regular white cabbage? I have never had tofu (believe it or not!!) so I will have to give this recipe a try!

Add me too....no cilantro here...maybe a hint of mint?
Try Panzenella Italian salad (better known as bread salad) soo refreshing and easy ro make.
Just google it.

Oh oh, Karen--now that you live in Texas, you're in trouble not liking cilantro --we use it in everything, especially salsa (yum!) Anyway, try combining fresh spinach, strawberries and candied pecans with a vinegar and oil dressing with some sugar added (I learned this great salad when we had dinner at Mitch and Bert's last year).

Yup, Karen...regular white cabbage...although red would probably be just as good. And the rice vinegar gives it such a refreshing taste! There are lots of different tofus (is that the plural of tofu?)on the market. I've liked most of them, but prefer the plain tofu.

When I make slaw, I use shredded cabbage, minced onion, celery seed and Marzetti's slaw dressing (I use the lite).

Peggy, I love anything with candied nuts in it so your spinach recipe sounds wonderful to me!

If you're lucky enough to have good tomatoes, I like to make a "greek" salad with tomatoes, feta, kalamata olives and maybe cucumber with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. Close to Caprese but just different enough.

My favourite is a Chickpea salad. I can write the whole recipe out for you, but it's basically about 4 cups of cooked Chickpeas, throw on about a cup of good vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, some salt and pepper, a whisper of sugar), plus several cloves of chopped garlic. Then add about a half of a large red onion, thinly sliced. And marinate it for a few hours in the fridge. It's good with other salads, so you don't really need another main course, lots of protein.

Ok, Karen here's the easy way. Go to Costco. Buy the bags of Parisian Salad (gourmet greens that come with dried cranberries, nuts, goat cheese and vinaigrette salad dressing). Cut up one or two baked chicken breasts to go on top. Voila! You're done! Can you tell we have this about three nights a week?

You can make all sorts of variations. Add chopped onion and either grapes or strawberries to the mix for that sweet and sour taste. Change the meat to grilled salmon, add chopped onions, tomatoes and avocados (save the chopped cranberries, nuts or other fruit for another day).

Let's see, it comes with two bags, if I use two different meats - I might could stretch this out for the whole week :D (with one night off for In N Out Burgers).

Great Donna!!! good suggestions no wonder you and Alan look so healthy :3smile:

Wendy, I make chick pea salad that is close to your but I add Romano cheese, too.

Donna, I do that ALL the time, too!sometimes I use chicken breasts, sometimes steak. WIth some good bread it's the perfect dinner!

Joanna, I'm not sure about healthy. I'm just a lazy cook. Once the kids left home, I didn't want to cook anymore. Besides, my specialties all make me fat - cookies, cakes, pies, bread. Now I specialize in salad and wine!

Looks like we make the same dinners, Karen.

This week one of the members of my book club invited us to lunch. She prepared this awesome Italian dish, sort of like pasta but crepes instead, stuffed with ricotta cheese and Italian parsley then smothered in a wonderful tomato sauce. Everything was homemade from her grandmother's recipes. Chocolate mousse for desert. It reminded me of a Regent cruise. She needs to open a restaurant.

When I ask Ray what he feels like for dinner his reply is"nothing fancy,how about a cold plate?"

I USED to boil the potatoes and make the salad as well as cole slaw...etc.

NOW I go to the deli and buy it....talk about getting lazy in your old age.Don't you just love those rotissery chickens?

Ahhhhh Donna, In N' Out, that sounds like the perfect lunch today! It's been way too long! Love hearing about the salads you all make, easy and good!

Wow! No cilantro? I buy heaps of it at a time and put it on everything at home. I absolutely LOVE it! :) In a perfect world, I would have cilantro, jalapenos and fresh lemons with every dish I eat!

Wendy's chickpea salad and Lauri's Greek salad sound sooooo good!

Kristin, it tastes like soap to me! I can't think of any other herb or food that I dislike as much, lol.

Here is my contribution to the Summer Salad request, K!

ROASTED VEGETABLE & ORZO SALAD


INGREDIENTS:

½ pound Orzo Pasta
1 Small Eggplant
1 Medium Red Onion
2 Small Summer Squash
2 Small Zucchini
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Red Bell Pepper
1 Small Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Lemon
Olive Oil
15 Fresh Basil Leaves
½ cup Toasted Pine Nuts
1 Bunch Green Onions
12 oz Feta Cheese
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large pot of well-salted boiling water prepare orzo as per package instructions. Drain, rinse and stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

Cut the eggplant, onion, summer squash, zucchini red & yellow peppers into ½ inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Mince the garlic and add to the vegetables. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, to coat. Spread onto a foil lined cookie sheet (2 if necessary) in a single layer with enough space between vegetables so that they roast rather than steam, for 1 hour. Stir vegetables occasionally. Remove when done and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine orzo, vegetables, 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, zest and juice of lemon, salt and pepper. At this point the salad can be covered and refrigerated for one day. If cold, allow the salad to come to room temperature before continuing.

One hour before service thinly slice the green onions including white, thinly slice (chiffonade) the basil, cut the feta cheese into ¼ inch cubes. Add the onion, basil, feta and pine nuts to the salad and combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve.

A Chianti or Pinot Grigio offers a nice accompaniment.

Robert, I will be right over for a yummy orzo salad! That one sounds delish!

WAIT!!!!! I'll be there and bring the fresh basil leaves....they have taken over Tony's little herb garden outside - growing along with rosemary, spearmint, mint (MOJITOS), chives and parsley other things forget??? - you all may come and snip whatever you need

I love fresh basil, it just smells so wonderful! I like to make pesto in the summer, I wonder if I can grow basil in Texas?

I would think so, Karen; it likes the heat! Does need sun.

Karen, this is really easy

1 can beans (black, kidney, garbanzo, white, whatever)
1 can corn
1 can rotel or diced tomatoes (10-15 ounces)
1 chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons lime juice (don't like lime? use lemon)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

If the tomatoes are seasoned, you can cut out the salt and pepper.

Drain and rinse beans and corn. Drain tomatoes.
Mix all and chill.

Serve as is.
Serve over a bed of lettuce.
Serve over a bed of couscous.

Add other vegetables that tickle your fancy. Cucumbers, peppers. Sprinkle feta cheese on top.

For the purist, you may use dry beans and cook them, you may shuck the corn from the cob and you may use fresh tomatoes.

Spare a thought for me - it's so cold here, I can't think about salads! Anyone got any soup recipes? Lee

I saw where you all got "snow" today for the 1st time since 1836 & then the weathermen said it wasn't actually snow, but hail. Those snowmen looked real to me.

Here's a tasty one:

Layer

Raw leaf Spinach
Sliced Pears
Blue Cheese
Salted Cashews
Alfalfa sprouts
Raspberry Vinegar & Olive oil to taste

Then stir

All these sound very yummy! Not sure which one I'm going to try first!

They sure do sound yummy, no more being bored with my usual salads! Thanks everyone! :yummy1:

Bean Salad

3-4 cans beans. I use black, string bean, white kidney, sometimes red kidney.

Drain and rinse well.

Put in a large bowl.

Slice some yellow onion very finely, throw it in the bowl.

Sprinkle with a generous amount of garlic powder.

In a separate mixing bowl

1 Cup Kraft Zesty Italian dressing OR Ken's Zesty Italian dressing

Mix 1-2 tsp of sugar with 1-2 Tbsp of hot water. Add to dressing, stir. You want an Italian dressing flavor without too much vinegar pucker.

Pour over beans, toss and refrigerate.

Betty: We had light hail but suburbs about a ten minute drive away were covered which looked awfully like snow to me. I've never seen anything like it in Sydney before (probably because I wasn't around in 1836). It has been the coldest winter for yonks! I head off to NY on 5 September, just when things start getting pleasant again! Lee

I just made my first salad from these recipes, Roberts roasted veggie and orzo salad and it is really delish!

Glad you liked it, K!!

Per Donna's suggestion bought Parisian Salad at Costco and played with it - variations endless - made spinach/strawberry salad with Feta cheese and pecans (Feta from Costco) and I love Kraft's raspberry vinaigrette with poppyseed dressing - Andi's pear/blue cheese A plus too! All of these recipes are addictive - Thanks all!

I think I am going to do Peggy's recipe next, I bought some of these salad fixin things below and added them to a steak salad with blue cheese crumbles, it was fantastic! I am going to add to them to Peggy's spinach salad next.

Karen, I love glazed pecans and a few of my salads call for walnuts but I prefer pecans. I usually glaze them, then keep in fridge till i need them.Below is our alltime favorite salad:


1/2 cup pecan halves
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup water

Heat water and sugar in non-stick skillet over medium heat...add pecans..stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until carmilized
Pour on GREASED wax paper..let cool and break apart

Dressing:

1/3 cup oil
3 TBSP white wine vinegar
3 TBSP or to taste White sugar OR honey
2 or 3 TBSP seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt

Shake all ingredients in a jar or whisk.
Make in advance and keeps well in fridge.

Salad:

10 ounces or more of mixed greens about 6 cups.
1 can (11 0z.) mandarin oranges drained
1/2 cup or more dried cranberries
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onions

Toss all ingredients with dressing and sprikle nuts over.

Play around with the vinegars and the dried fruit (dried blueberries,cherries,etc)

serves 6 may be increased

This is the recipe for a salad I had last year at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. I liked it so much I wrote them for the recipe. It was (is) absolutely the best salad I think I have ever had. The recipe below is exactly as the chef sent it to me. I haven't been able to make it over here as I cannot get some of the ingredients here. If anyone tries it, let me know how you like it.

Cobb salad

Free range chicken breast- marinated with olive oil, tarragon, shallots, touch of lemon- roasted in the oven- 5 oz breast- cooled and diced

Julienned Romaine heart and radicchio mixed- 2 cups
Chopped smoked bacon-cooked crispy- 1/8 cup
Maytag blue cheese- any blue will do-I prefer this cheese. - 2 tblspns
Chopped Fuji apples- any tart apple will do. –1/4 cup
Sundried cranberries- soaked in warm sugar water for about 10 minutes- 1/8 cup
Rosemary glazed pecans- pecans, butter, rosemary, and brown sugar-1/8 cup

Creamy cider dressing- mayo, apple juice, cider vinegar, honey,- precooked chopped rosemary and savory in olive oil. Add to dressing while still warm. It is important to precook the herbs because they are hard herbs and this will release the flavor.

Mayo- ½ cup mayonnaise
Applejuice-1/4 cup
Applecider vinegar- ¼ cup
Honey- To taste
Rosemary
Savory- 1 Tsp mixed- the rosemary and savory need to be light toasted in saute pan and thrown into the dressing while still warm.

This recipe will make 1 cup of dressing. The salad will need just enough to toss the entire salad.

Arlene, that looks delish! Pat, those salad toppings come in about 8 different flavors and most of them are pecans. I am afraid I am too lazy to candy my own, lol.