Delicious Summer Salads
The heat is getting to work here in Sacramento. Summer produce is fully in swing (not necessarily in my garden but whatever) and I’m here for it. While I love lots of summer recipes, summer salads are one of my favorite – no combination seems to be a bad one.
We try to eat seasonally as much as possible, which means embracing what’s local, fresh, and preferably organic! With so much fresh produce available in the summer (and considering I’m now in shorts everyday), I’m looking to add more summer salads to our mix. And let’s be honest how important the best salad toppings are!
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Delicious Summer Salads
I’ve come to understand that salad doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone – even summer salads conjure up different recipe ideas. While I think of in season fruit atop leafy greens and whole grains, others want some pasta salad, cole slaw, and potato salad.
Since I aim to please (at least when it comes to food), there’s a little something for everyone here! With lean proteins, I’m really big on these easy salads with dinner (think a chicken salad with a delectable dressing and yummy veggies). And then they’re great as lunch over the next few days too. If a salad needs a little refresh, I like to top it with some goat cheese just before eating or layer of fresh croutons or seeds/nuts.
You’ll see some ingredients in a few dishes like berries, watermelon, summer tomatoes (yum!), green beans, corn, and avocado! The berries and cherries are interchangeable in all of the recipes and you can use whatever variety and size of tomato you have access to in each of the salads. We are HERE for summer fruits and veggies.
Some of these summer salad recipes have whole grains in them as written. Of course you could add cooked quinoa to any of these for a little extra protein!
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Summer Salad Recipes with Fruit
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Summer Pasta Salads, Potato Salads, & Cole Slaw
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Homemade Salad Dressings
I’m big on making my own salad dressings. They usually have less than 5 ingredients and I love the flavor so much more than store-bought ones. This balsamic salad dressing has been my go to for years. It comes together in about 1 minute. We’re also loving this poppy seed salad dressing this summer – a little more time to prep. And as we get closer to fall, I think I’ll add this maple black peppercorn vinaigrette into the mix!!
Each of my dressings has olive oil, salt, and pepper. Past that it’s usually one or two of these basic ingredients: lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, whole grain mustard, and fresh herbs.
We keep them in these small (4.5 oz) hermetic jars. They’re the perfect size for the recipe and great for shaking the ingredients together. But we also use small (often upcycled) jars.
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More Seasonal Summer Recipes
Looking for some more summer recipes besides salads? Try any of these tasty ones…
Homemade Pico de Gallo
Honeydew + Mozzarella Skewers
Grilled Cantaloupe
Cherry Tomato Appetizer Board
Summer Squash Pasta
Fresh Strawberry Cocktails, including this easy and tasty strawberry sangria
Summer Mocktails
Salsa Recipes with Fruit
Melon Smoothie
SUMMER SALADS
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh pepper
- ½ – 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Thoroughly combine mustard, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar.
- Since mustard and vinegar are tangier, sugar is optional for a lighter flavor.
- Store in refrigerator.
Made this recipe?
I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment and rating below.
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This was a great side dish at our dinner party last week. But honestly, it was so good I would probably make it as an easy way to get my vegetables in!