Have you made a salad lately? Salads can be a great make-ahead that can help you to make sure you have food on the ready. With the warmer weather here (she said optimistically), salads are the perfect choice for a meal outdoors. Sometimes I like to make several salads at a time, all for the same meal, which makes for a variety of delicious vegetarian dishes, not to mention excellent leftovers for the next day, I hope some of these salads will inspire you.
Why not serve a meal of salads? Give people lots of options. If you have young children, try to include something you know they will like, along with some new recipes. Encourage children to try something new, but assure them they do not have to finish it if they don't like it. It can take children many, many tries before they may like something, so try to avoid the power struggle that can happen around food, and focus on offering choices over time (and remember to breathe).
Kale Salad - I have a favorite that I just love, but I did get some feedback from my husband and decided to change things up. I used a totally different dressing, but kept all of the other ingredients. The results were great. (The dressing recipe is at the bottom of the post)
Bean salad - this is a favorite of my husband. I tried to lower some of the sugar and it still tasted good. The original recipe (included below) comes from Janet and Greta Podleski who co-wrote The Looneyspoons Collection. You can vary the recipe quite easily, so feel free to leave out anything you don't prefer and add in what you like.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cut green beans, cooked (I skipped these)
1 can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can no-salt-added red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used white ones)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup diced red onion (skipped this)
1 cup diced red or orange bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Dressing
1/4 cup safflower oil or light olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar or white vinegar
2 Tb. sugar (I used about 1 tsp of Maple Syrup instead)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over bean mixture. Stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for the best flavor.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cut green beans, cooked (I skipped these)
1 can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can no-salt-added red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used white ones)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 cup diced red onion (skipped this)
1 cup diced red or orange bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Dressing
1/4 cup safflower oil or light olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar or white vinegar
2 Tb. sugar (I used about 1 tsp of Maple Syrup instead)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.
Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over bean mixture. Stir gently. Cover and refrigerate for the best flavor.
Grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and chickpeas tossed with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar. This one comes from the Looneyspoons collection as well.
Ingredients
1 can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 cup mini fresh mozzarella balls, halved
1/3 cup minced red onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. May be served immediately, or salad can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour before serving. It is best served the same day, but you can definitely eat it later.
Ingredients
1 can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 cup mini fresh mozzarella balls, halved
1/3 cup minced red onions
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1 Tb. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. May be served immediately, or salad can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour before serving. It is best served the same day, but you can definitely eat it later.
Warm roasted vegetable salad with rosemary and feta (from the Looneyspoons Collection).
Ingredients
12 mini red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
3 cups whole medium sized mushrooms
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 medium red onion, cut into rings
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tb. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Add vegetables, garlic, oil, and herbs. Mix well. Roast uncovered at 425 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Stir once or twice during cooking time. Turn on the broiler and broil vegetables for about 5 minutes, until edges start to brown.
Remove vegetables from oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with vinegar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta over top. Serve warm.
Ingredients
12 mini red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
3 cups whole medium sized mushrooms
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 medium zucchini, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 medium red onion, cut into rings
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tb. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tb. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Add vegetables, garlic, oil, and herbs. Mix well. Roast uncovered at 425 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Stir once or twice during cooking time. Turn on the broiler and broil vegetables for about 5 minutes, until edges start to brown.
Remove vegetables from oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Toss with vinegar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta over top. Serve warm.
Quinoa - there are so many options, so if you get tired of one recipe, move on to a new one. I like Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and Bocconcini and Oregano Salad.
This is a new dressing that I tried. I didn't like the salad that I made (just didn't care for it), but the dressing was great. I used the dressing on the kale salad, using all of the same salad ingredients.
I keep my homemade dressing in the fridge. The oil tends to solidify, but I put the jar in a container of warm water, shake it a couple of times over about 5 minutes, and the oil becomes liquid again.
Brown Derby Vinaigrette (from Lynn Crawford)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tb. honey
2 Tb. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 3/4 cups canola oil
Whisk all ingredients except oil, until well combined. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Refrigerate until ready to use.
I keep my homemade dressing in the fridge. The oil tends to solidify, but I put the jar in a container of warm water, shake it a couple of times over about 5 minutes, and the oil becomes liquid again.
Brown Derby Vinaigrette (from Lynn Crawford)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tb. honey
2 Tb. Dijon mustard
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of 1 lemon
1 3/4 cups canola oil
Whisk all ingredients except oil, until well combined. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Quinoa Salad with Roasted Squash, Cashews, and Gouda: This sounded fabulous, but it was not a hit in our home. The dressing was something we liked!
I have used the Brown Derby Vinaigrette on a couple of salads. This salad is one I made up, using ingredients I had on hand: chick peas, red peppers, cooked green peas, sauteed onions and garlic, and feta cheese. Easy peasy!
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