Best Summer salads - Seven cool salad recipes
Kick start summer with a delightful range of salads
Tossing a few ingredients together, you can make many varieties of beautiful, crunchy, healthy, and versatile summer salads within minutes. You can toss seasonal vegetables together with some chunks of avocado, pomegranates, or apples and combine them all with a delicious salad dressing to make culinary heaven in a bowl!
You might prefer a lighter version of a salad for lunch and a more satisfying and sustainable choice for dinner. By adding some roast chicken, steak, tinned sardines – or salmon – or boiled eggs into your salad bowl, you will instantly turn it into a full, healthy meal.
it’s just a matter of being creative to make your own version of a glorious salad, according to your mood of the day! The natural vibrant colours of seasonal vegetables and fruits will invariably please your eyes before it stimulates the tastebuds. If you are struggling to lose a few pounds in order to look great this summer, these salads will definitely come to your rescue. Check your weight after 5 days, eating only salads for supper; you will dance out of joy with an amazing crash of several extra kilos!
So, good luck with your delightful salad-making!
Home-made salad dressings
The salad dressings used here are my own creations. I never buy various salad dressings available on supermarket shelves because they can never live up to the standard of my homemade dressings, which are made with simple and healthy ingredients. In short, you know what goes into your dressing! I believe you will get inspired by these recipes and eventually, make delicious salad dressings with your own signature on them!
The basic ingredients are runny honey, apple cider, and lemon juice which are common in all varieties as they provide the necessary substance to bring the best out of greens and veggies while making the digestive process efficient and easier. Most importantly, always remember to serve any salad, appealing to the eyes, by keeping the natural colours intact.
Tips:
- You can prepare the veggies in advance to save time: Cut and slice the veggies and greens and put them all into a glass bowl and cover with a cling film. Store in the fridge until mealtime.
- Always opt for seasonal produce which has the freshness and flavours intact
- Remember to add the salad dressing just before serving the salad to avoid a watery mess at the bottom of the bowl
- Most importantly, serve any salad with the natural colours of greens and veggies intact.
- Always add a few drops of lemon juice into the dressing. Lemon juice helps in absorbing the iron in spinach and red meat efficiently
The choice of what you can add to any salad to make it sustainable, healthy, and more satisfying is unlimited. Some of my favourite choices are listed down here;
- Sliced boiled eggs
- Baked or pan-fried chicken breast
- Steak
- A cup of boiled chickpeas
- A cup of black beans or mixed beans in brine
- Raw spinach and boiled beans
- Boiled macaroni
- Mackerel fillets in tomat sauce
- Croutons – Cubes of bread toasted on the pan or baked in the oven with a dash of butter
How to make croutons
Tossing a handful of croutons on any salad could instantly turn it into a full meal. Salads are devoid of Carbohydrates and usually very light and low in calories. However, if you need to add a bit of carb and make it a filling meal, just by adding croutons, you will be able to achieve your desire.
You will need:
- A few wholemeal or white bread slices
- A knob of butter
Let’s make it
- Heat a pan and add the butter. Let it melt
- Cut the bread slices into squares
- Drop on the melted butter
- Keep tossing and turning until both sides are nicely browned and crispy
- Leave on the pan itself for cooling – This will make it crispier
- Now, toss on your salad just before serving it
- Delicious!
1) Greek Salad
Ingredients needed:
| Iceberg Lettuce | 2 cups |
| Tomatoes – riped and juicy | 1/2 cup |
| Cucumber | 1/2 |
| Red Onions | 1/2 |
| Olives Pitted (black and green) | a handful |
| Feta cheese | a handful |
| For the basic dressing | |
| Apple cider vinegar | 3 tbsp |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp |
| Salt n black pepper powder | A few pinches |
| Honey | 1 tbsp |
| Dried oregano (optional) | 2 tsp |
| Lemon juice | 1tsp |
Let’s make;
Prepare the veggies
- Shred Lettuce thinly
- Slice tomatoes
- Cut the cucumber into thin slices
- Slice red onions thinly
- Toss all into a large bowl
- Drop a handful of black or green olives on top
- Cover and keep until you make the salad dressing
Make the salad dressing
- Add Salt and pepper powder, apple cider vinegar, honey into a small bowl
- Squeeze the lemon juice in
- Pour olive oil gradually while whisking rapidly
- Adjust the taste
- Done!
Toss the salad with the dressing
- Pour the salad dressing into the bowl of veggies and give a good toss using tongs
- Drop cubed feta cheese on the top
- Sprinkle Oregano
- Your beautiful Greek-style salad is ready!
- Serve immediately!
2) Spinach and boiled egg salad with wholemeal croutons with French salad dressing
Let’s toss it:
- Cut the boiled eggs thinly
- Make the croutons: Heat a pan, drop a 1/2tsp of butter. Cube two slices of thick wholemeal bread slices and toss into the pan. Toss until well roasted. Keep aside
- Wash baby spinach and drain water
- Slice lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onions
- Now into a large glass bowl, add raw spinach leaves, lettuce, cucumber, red onions and tomatoes
- Toss some olives.
- Drop the wholemeal croutons and boiled egg slices
- Keep aside
Make the French salad dressing:
- Into a small bowl add apple cider vinegar, runny honey, Dijon mustard cream, salt and pepper and give a good mix
- Pour extra-virgin olive oil while whisking rapidly
- Sqeeze a few drops of lemon
- Adjust the taste
- Your salad dressing is ready!
Now, pour onto the salad and give a good toss. Serve immediately!
3) Chicken breast and veggie salad with Thai sweet chilli sauce dressing
Prepare the chicken breasts:
- Make a few cuts on the chicken breasts
- Mix salt, pepper powder, and a dash of soy sauce together and rub on the the chicken breasts. Keep covered for 20 mins
- Add a dash of olive oil into a non-stick pan and pan-fry the chicken until properly done.
- Slice into thin stripes
- Keep aside
Make the Thai sweet chilli sauce dressing:
- In a small bowl, add apple cider vinegar, a dash of lemon juice, a tiny bit of salt and pepper powder, and a generous amount of Thai sweet chilli sauce. Mix all together using a fork
- Now add extra-virgin olive oil while whisking rapidly
- Done!
Pour the salad dressing on top and serve immediately!
4) Green salad with mackerel in tomato sauce
Let’s toss it together:
- Slice cucumber, red onions, tomatoes, and lettuce
- Wash baby spinach and drain water
- Add them all into a large glass bowl
- Toss some croutons and olives
- On top, drop the whole tin of mackerel fillets with its sauce
- Drop some croutons
- Keep aside
Make the Thai sweet chilli sauce dressing:
- In a small bowl, add Apple cider vinegar, a dash of lemon juice, a tiny bit of salt and pepper powder, and a generous amount of Thai sweet chilli sauce. Mix all together using a fork
- Now add extra-virgin olive oil while whisking rapidly
- Done!
Pour over the salad and mix gently with tongs.
Serve immediately!
5) Steak salad with yoghurt dressing
Prepare the steak:
- Slice steak and rub a dash of salt, pepper powder, mustard cream and soy sauce. Keep aside for 1/2 hr
- Heat 1tbsp of olive oil and fry both sides until there are no pink bits and they are properly cooked through
- Cover and keep aside
Make the salad dressing:
- Add a dollp of yoghurt into a bowl and add salt and pepper propotionately
- Add apple cider vinegar, runny honey and whisk with olive oil
- Check the taste
- Keep aside
Assemble everything together:
- Slice veggies; cucumber, red onions, raddish, lettuce, spinach leaves, tomatoes and carrots
- Drop all into a deep glass bowl
- Add in the steak
- Pour in the salad dressing
- Give a good mix just before serving
- Delicous!
6) Macaroni salad with creamy yoghurt and mayo dressing
Boil the macaroni and make the salad dressing:
- Boil half a pan of water, add in a bit of oil and salt
- Drop a two handfulls of macaroni shells and boil until soft
- Keep aside
Salad dressing
- Add a generous dollop of Greek style yoghurt or plain yoghurt into a bowl and add salt and pepper propotionately
- Add apple cider vinegar, runny honey in and whisk vigorously with olive oil
- Add in a dollop of mayo and mix thoroughly
- Check the taste and keep aside
Assemble everything together:
- Slice veggies; cucumber, red onions, lettuce, baby spinach leaves, tomatoes, carrots and bell peppers in all colours
- Drop all into a large salad bowl
- Drop the boiled macaroni
- Pour in the salad dressing
- Give a good mix just before serving
- Delicous!
7) Green salad with croutons and Greek Feta cheese
Let’s make the salad dressing:
- Add honey, lemon juice, sweet chilli sauce and apple cider vinegar into a small bowl
- Add a tiny bit of salt and black pepper powder
- Give a good mix
- Now while gradually pouring extra-virgin olive oil, whisk vigorously
- Adjust the taste
Let’s get on with the salad:
- Slice tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and red onions and add all into a wide salad bowl
- Drop raw baby spinach
- Toss some black olives in
- Drop some Greek Feta cheese on top
- Pour the salad dressing
- Toss a handful of croutons
- Done!
- Serve immediately!
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