Summer salads (1,138 views)

Here Are a couple I have made And we liked...

Couscous Chickpea Salad with Ginger-Lime Dressing (CL 2004)
Couscous is great for make-ahead salads like this one. Turmeric lends a golden hue to the pasta, but it can be omitted.
Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)
DRESSING:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

SALAD:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Preparation
To prepare dressing, combine first 8 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.
To prepare salad, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and gradually stir in couscous, raisins, and turmeric. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Place couscous mixture in a large bowl. Add tomato and remaining ingredients. Drizzle with dressing; stir well to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.


Massaged Kale Salad

Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
5 cups Kale (looks like a lot but the size will decrease significantly when dressing is added)
½ cups Walnuts (I have used pecans and almonds, liked the walnuts the best though)
¼ cups Dried Cranberries (I have also used dried cherries in place of cranberries)
1 Apple, Chopped
Salt And Pepper, to taste


FOR THE DRESSING:
¼ cups Olive Oil (I have used a Lime Flavored Olive Oil instead of EVOO)
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 Lime, Juiced (I have used about 3-4 T from bottled Lime Juice when I didn’t have fresh limes)
1 clove Garlic
3 Tablespoons Honey
Preparation Instructions
For the dressing:
Combine the olive oil, vinegar, juice from the lime, garlic and the honey. Set aside while you prepare the salad.
For the salad:
Put chopped kale in a large bowl and pour the vinaigrette over the beautiful leaves. Massage the vinaigrette into the kale for about 5 minutes. The size of the kale will decrease and you will feel the kale becoming more tender.
After the massage stir in the nuts, cranberries and chopped apple. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste..goat or feta cheese might be good if you feel you need a little more substance.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad
Recipe courtesy Juan-Carlos Cruz

1 cup quinoa
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed.
In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans, walnuts, and green onions until well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving
Nutrition Information
Calories 158; Fat 5; saturated Fat 0;Carbohydrates 24; fiber 6

Sweet Potato & Apple Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing
Yield: Serves 6 Serving Size: About 3/4 cup www.cookincanuck.com
The salad:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 large apple, such as Fuji, Gala, or Granny Smith, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
The dressing:
2 chipotle chilies en adobo
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon honey or molasses
2 tablespoons tomato catsup
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
The salad:
Place the sweet potatoes in boiling, lightly salted water in a large saucepan and boil, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside on a plate.
Combine the apple, bell peppers, celery, red onion, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the cooked potatoes, mixing lightly.
The dressing:
Combine all the dressing ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor and puree together. Drizzle in the oil and continue to process until thick.
Add the dressing to the vegetables and toss well.

Hoping to make this one next one.... Lemony Artichoke and Quinoa Salad

www.budgetbytes.com/lemony-artichoke-and-quinoa-salad/#comments

Picture from her website.

Had another different, excellent salad at supper club the other night...I fully intend to try this one for my family...

Grilled Coleslaw with Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette
Eating Well

Ingredients

¼ small green cabbage (about 12 ounces)
¼ small red cabbage (about 12 ounces)
1 large carrot
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large lemon, halved
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 ½ teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley and/or basil

Step 1
Preheat grill to medium.

Step 2
Cut each cabbage quarter into 3 wedges, trying to keep an equal portion of the core attached to each wedge to hold it together on the grill. Brush the cabbage wedges and carrot with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.

Step 3
Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and starting to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Grill lemon, cut-side down, until grill marks form, about 4 minutes.

Step 4
Juice the lemon halves into a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, shallot, honey, salt and pepper. Stir in herbs.

Step 5
Chop the vegetables into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to the bowl and toss with the dressing.

I made a new one last night for dinner, apple and pear, delicious and easy to make...