I can’t remember the last time I purchased salad dressing. Once I started making my own, there was no going back. Years ago, when I was dealing with picky eating kids, I read the book French Kids Eat Everything. It was a game changer in my house and it was the first time I tried making simple salad dressings that ended up replacing giant store-bought bottles of ranch. Fast forward to today and I’m making every kind of dressing under the sun. This simple lemon garlic vinaigrette recipe is fabulous.
Ready for a refreshing, hearty summer salad? Antipasto pasta salad is super easy to make, delicious, can be made in advance, and is great as leftovers. It’s so versatile it can be a side dish or a main meal. Excellent for an easy weeknight dinner or make a large batch for a potluck.
This easy Greek summer salad is perfect if you have a garden overrun with fresh vegetables. Or, you’ve gotten a great CSA box or had a nice pick-up from the farmer’s market. Greek summer salad is easy and you can add or remove ingredients to your liking. I know it’s hard in these times to safely acquire food and sometimes you are not going to get all the things on your list. This salad is forgiving. Add or take out what works for you. The Greek salad dressing is tangy and easy to make.
Pesto pasta salad is a fresh take and nice change from regular macaroni salad. It’s easy to make ahead and is perfect as a side dish to grilled meats and would also be great to take to a picnic or potluck. You can also have it as a main meal if you add some protein like grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp.
This broccoli pasta salad is the perfect salad to make a side for BBQ or to take to a picnic or potluck. It’s super easy to make and it’s definitely best as a make ahead dish. The broccoli, pasta, and veggies come together with some ranch dressing. Using different color peppers and blanching the broccoli make the salad vibrant, beautiful, and super tasty.
This macaroni salad recipe is a great side dish for bar-b-ques and picnics. Perfect for Labor Day! What makes this macaroni salad a hit is the dressing. The secret ingredient is pickle juice. It adds a sweetness that balances the onion and vinegar. I recommend making this recipe 4 to 24 hours in advance so the flavors marry. This will allow time for the pasta to chill and soak up all the delicious dressing ingredients. Read more
BBQ season is upon us! Nothing goes better with some BBQ than coleslaw! It’s easy to make and it tastes best if you make it a day in advance. When you mix together everything in this recipe, it becomes more flavorful if you refrigerate it at least 4 hours and tastes even better if marinating overnight. The cabbage needs time to “bleed” some liquid out and an soak up the flavor of the salad dressing. When you first mix the coleslaw ingredients, it seems heavy on the mayo and not very flavorful. But after a few hours, things start to marinate together, the flavors marry, and there’s a cool crispiness to each bite. A perfect balance to whatever hot food you cook on the grill. This recipe uses half a head of cabbage. That feeds about 4 people. If you want to use the whole head of cabbage, just double the amount of ingredients.
This spinach salad and the dressing are super easy to make and it looks so pretty. The salad is simple. Just grab a bag of baby spinach, some walnuts, and cranberries. The dressing is a vinegar base with some shallot, sesame seeds, and olive oil. You can make the dressing in advance and just drizzle on top of the salad when you’re read to eat.
Did you know that Caprese salad was created to represent the colors of the Italian flag? Me either. Maybe it’s just coincidence. I’ve seen it referenced a number of times that “Insalata Caprese” or “salad of Capri” for those of us who only eat Italian, was made to represent the colors red, white, and green and thus become a food symbol of Italy. Two ingredients of this food symbol came freshly picked from my garden. Oh, summer gardens…how I love thee… There is nothing like a freshly picked tomato from a garden. And I’ve got to say, that basil is taking off and trying to take over. I have to keep eating it to keep that plant in check. I first got introduced to Caprese salad during the flurry of wine bars that popped up about ten years ago. You know the ones who claimed to have invented bruscetta boards. Everyone would say, “oh! I love the Caprese”. I didn’t know what it was and just said what I usually say when asked if I’ll share something. Which is yes. Of course. After trying it a few times and then ordering it as a salad I realized it was just simple: fresh mozzarella, sliced fresh tomato, and fresh basil. Then top it with some balsamic vinegar and you have a summer delight. All the fancy magazines say to pair it with a light, crisp white or rose wine. Even a sparkling wine. It balances the acidity of the tomatoes. I like it with a Sangiovese. I’m a rebel like that.
Do you have a garden that is just overflowing with fresh peppers? I hope so. The farmers markets are just bursting with these colorful beauties right now. They are fat, juicy, and crispy. I bought a whole bunch the other day and then after I brought them home and washed them, remembered that only my daughter and I like them so we came up with this creative little salad that lured in the cheese lovers of the house. The men in the house love cheese and we even got them to eat some of the delicious peppers thanks to a nice balsamic dressing we drizzled over the top.
