Hit me with your best summer salad recipes, Fire away Options

[AChick]

I'm in a rut. I have a few salads that I always like to make in the summer, but I want to do something different. I'm not talking green salads, which are best eaten immediately, but rather something that will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days for lunches. My old standbys are rotini with shrimp, avocado, and mango in a mango lime vinaigrette, chicken with red grapes and toasted pecans in a creamy tarragon dressing, or some kind of cold Asian noodle salad (I do many variations on this). Oh, and I love anything seafood-based (crabmeat salad, lobster salad, etc.). Any recipe suggestions?

[cookie]

long live the 70s!!!

recipe!

[busyface]

Tossed salad.

[AChick]

long live the 70s!!!

recipe!

Eek! Mini marshmallows would send me into immediate sugar shock. Used to love that stuff when I was litte, though. Any outdoor party/cookout-type gathering, it was pretty much a given that someone would bring that.

[cookie]

Eek! Mini marshmallows would send me into immediate sugar shock. Used to love that stuff when I was litte, though. Any outdoor party/cookout-type gathering, it was pretty much a given that someone would bring that.

i KNOW!! so good. i am a sugar fiend, too.

[Arz]

2 cups mayonnaise
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips.

Mix, chill, and serve!

[T-Bone]

Spinach
Tuna
Ground flax seeds
Oil-based dressing

Repeat 365 days a year.

Welcome to my life.

[Carmelita]

Eek! Mini marshmallows would send me into immediate sugar shock. Used to love that stuff when I was litte, though. Any outdoor party/cookout-type gathering, it was pretty much a given that someone would bring that.

Shockers! Did you actually forget the "L" in "little"? I am beyond sugar shocked.

[Random Stalker]

[AChick]

You people are just not being helpful at all.

[Orbitron]

My wife makes a really good sweet potato and black bean salad....

Ah, here it is.
SHe may have adapted it a bit. But that's pretty darn close to what she makes.

[Arz]

My wife used to make a mean potato salad that involved bacon, but she’s recently converted to vegetarianism (save for the occasional fish), so we no longer talk to each other.

[AChick]

My wife makes a really good sweet potato and black bean salad....

Ah, here it is.
SHe may have adapted it a bit. But that's pretty darn close to what she makes.

Ooh, that sounds very interesting. Does she really use banana chutney? If so, does she make it herself?

[JodyThePig]

Sunshine Salad Recipe (serves one)

Ingredients:

*One head romaine lettuce.
*Three hits blotter acid.

Preparation:

1). Consume blotter.
2). Wait 30-45 minutes.
3). Remove head of lettuce from packaging.
4). Cram lettuce into mouth. (Note: Bites should be taken directly from head of lettuce and should be as large as possible.)
5). Tell friend, "This lettuce is soooooo gooooood!"
6). Become distracted as friend's face slides off of chin and onto floor.

[Noodle Brick]

there is some wicked deja vu going on in this thread. I like the salad with the marshmallows, tangerines, and cherries.

Last time this came up, someone told me it was called "ambrosia" and gave me a recipe.

weird wild stuff.

[Biccer2]

Not exactly what you're looking for, but go to The Publick House in Brookline and get the bisteca salad. Beer-grilled steak on top of leafy greens with other veggies and fried onion strings.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Orbitron]

Ooh, that sounds very interesting. Does she really use banana chutney? If so, does she make it herself?

I think she uses the banana chutney, or she has substituted mango chutney. She just buys it at Trader Joes, it's pretty simple to make I think.

[Indyrockgrl69]

My wife makes a really good sweet potato and black bean salad....

Ah, here it is.
SHe may have adapted it a bit. But that's pretty darn close to what she makes.

Wow! that looks really good! I've been looking for more black bean recipes. Thanks.

[In the Woods]

I don't have a recipe, but one of my favorites is lemon orzo salad. If I had to guess:

orzo
lemon juice
olive oil
parsley
feta cheese
diced tomato

Basically, very lightly dressed pasta with a little feta, tomato and parsley.

[Indyrockgrl69]

My wife used to make a mean potato salad that involved bacon, but she’s recently converted to vegetarianism (save for the occasional fish), so we no longer talk to each other.

You have to keep talking to her. She know where all the really good tea is.

[AChick]

I think she uses the banana chutney, or she has substituted mango chutney. She just buys it at Trader Joes, it's pretty simple to make I think.

It's just a product that I don't recall having seen before (the banana variety, I mean)--not that I've really been looking. I was wondering whether it was hard to come by, and maybe easier to make oneself.

[Carmelita]

Well, I borrowed this recipe from Emeril Lagasse, since he invented it before I could...

I think this one would make nice with a side of tossed greens.

Avocado and Smoked Salmon Mousse

8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup minced scallions
1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin slices
1(5-ounce) jar salmon roe
Toasted croutons or crackers, for dipping

Line a 4-cup round mold with plastic wrap. Lay about 1/3 of the salmon over the plastic wrap, overlapping each slice slightly and hanging the ends over the edge, to cover the mold. Chop the remaining salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until creamy and well combined. Add the hot pepper sauce and salt and stir well. In a small saucepan, heat the lemon juice over very low heat. Pour into a 1/2-cup ramekin and sprinkle with the gelatin, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the chopped smoked salmon and scallions. Spoon 1/3 of the mousse into the mold, top with a layer of avocado slices, then gently spread with 1/2 the salmon roe. Spread 1/3 of the mousse on top of the roe, and top with the remaining avocado slices and roe. Spread the remaining mousse over the top and fold the overhanging salmon strips over to completely enclose the mousse. Cover with the plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 3 hours. To unmold, place the mold in a bowl of warm water for 10 seconds. Unwrap the plastic from the bottom of the mold and invert the mold onto a serving plate. Gently shake to release the mold and unwrap completely. Serve with toasted croutons or crackers.

[Lollipop]

This isn't all that sexy (I suppose you could replace the chicken with shrimp and it would come up lovely), but this is an awesome dinner to have on a hot evening!

Chicken Pasta Salad

8 oz (or more if you prefer) corkscrew pasta
3 c. cooked chicken breast
½ c. Italian dressing
½ c. mayonnaise
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. mustard
1 medium onion – chopped
1 c. diced cucumber
1 c. diced celery
Olives (to taste, optional)
Pepper and salt to taste

Cook pasta and drain. Mix chicken, Italian dressing with hot pasta. Let cool. Blend mayonnaise, lemon, and mustard in separate bowl. Stir in onion, cucumber, celery, olives, salt and pepper. Add this to chicken mixture. Let flavors blend for at least 2 hours.

[Indyrockgrl69]

Green Bean Salad
2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimed.
1/2 cup oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sweet white onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives

Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain well. In a large bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper; stir well.
Add the sweet onions, green olives, and hot beans and toss until coated. Serve immediately.

[lisalisa]

flank steak salad

baby greans/baby spinach
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
blue cheese
walnuts
sliced yellow pepper
cherry tomatoes

bbq chicken salad

baby greens/baby spinach
fresh corn
grilled chicken w/honey bbq chopped
black beans

grilled shrimp salad

baby greens/baby spinach
mandarian oranges/or berries
grilled shrimp (marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and garlic)
asparagus grilled
dressing of lemon juice, olive oil and garlic