Easy Summer Salads

We had company over for the 4th of July and everyone was raving about my salads. They were all very simple to make and yet delicious!

In the summer time I like to serve a meal that is made up of a grilled meat and cold salads. There are so many to choose from, but in this lens I will share the ones that I used at our most recent company meal.

I love dishes that I can make ahead so that I can spend my time with my guests, and not in the kitchen the day of the party. Each of these recipes fits that bill. I made them the evening before and put them in serving bowls in the refrigerator. The day of the party I just had to remove the plastic wrap and set them on the table.

Here is the menu I used for my meal and the recipes for the salads.

Happy Eating!

photos by Mary Beth Granger

I have been making potato salad for years and this is the recipe that has become a favorite of my family. It is easy and delicious and a great side dish for a summer barbeque.

I have found that red potatoes work best for this recipe and I start out by boiling the potatoes until they are tender when stuck with a fork. A good guideline for the amount is to have one medium sized potato for each person. I usually make more because we want leftovers of this delicious salad. When the potatoes are cooked, I set them on a towel to cool. After they are cooled, I peel them and cut them into bite size pieces and put them in a mixing bowl.

The amount of other ingredients depends on the amount of potatoes but here is what I used for about 5 lbs or 9 medium sized potatoes.

Miracle Whip Light-4 heaping Tablespoons

Pickle Relish- 2 Tablespoons

Onion- 1/2 onion chopped

Yellow Mustard- 2 Tablespoons

Eggs- two hard boiled

Bacon- 3 slices - I microwave them till crisp

Salt and Pepper- to taste

All ingredients are added to potatoes in mixing bowl and tossed. After mixing, I transfer them to a glass serving bowl.

easy salad with fresh vegetables

This is one of our favorite summer salads. It is fresh vegetables chopped in small pieces and then tossed with a homemade ranch dressing. I use a wide variety of vegetables depending on what is fresh and available at our local market. For the salad pictured here I used the following vegetables:

leaf lettuce

green onions

celery

mushrooms

red pepper

yellow pepper

asparagus (I cooked it for 2 minutes in microwave to soften before chopping)

broccoli

It is important to chop all vegetables into small pieces.

I also added dried cranberries and shredded cheddar cheese.

The dressing is made by adding about 2 T of dry ranch dressing mix to 1 cup of Light Miracle Whip and 1/2 cup of milk. I put it in a jar and shake to mix. I keep this mix made up in the refrigerator. It is also great as a dip for cut up vegetables.

I put the vegetables, cranberries and shredded cheese in a bowl and toss with the dressing. The amount of dressing used depends on the amount of vegetables used, but I would say for a good sized bowl, I used about 4 heaping tablespoons of dressing.

This is a super easy version of the classic tomato-mozzarella salad.

Mix together these three ingredients

Tomatos--cut into small chunks

Red Onion--chopped ( I use about 1 Tablespoon for each tomato used)

String Cheese--slice into 1/4 inch slices ( use 1 stick for every tomato)

Add your favorite Italian dressing or marinade. I pour the dressing on top of the salad and then toss very lightly.

It is good to make this salad at least an hour before serving so the dressing can soak into the salad.

I like to use glass bowls when serving summer salads. They let the beautiful colors of the summer salads shine through the bowls. I have several different bowls that I use and I think it is great to mix the different styles.

Here are some bowls I found that I thought would work great for the salads in this lens.

Here are some cookbooks especially for summer cooking. Find great salads and good grilling tips.

This video shows how simple it is to make a really good healthy and delicious summer salad.

Last year when I was recovering from surgery, I got hooked on watch food network shows. I learned so many great tips for preparing foods. This video is a great example of the tips that are available.

Enjoy!

I would love to hear about your favorite salad.