Summer Salads

I don’t know about you but when we are experiencing temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s, like today, my appetite for a big meal is melted away. Robin and I enjoy making a chef’s salad during days like this topped with chicken, shrimp, steak or other left over meat such as Pork Chop or Pork Roast.

I often go by one of our local groceries and pick up a rotisserie chicken, if we don’t have leftover’s, and use it to top the salad. Robin makes me some homemade Thousand Island Dressing and I am “good-to-go”. I like her recipe because it isn’t as sweet as most—I will say that O’Charley’s Thousand Island dressing is almost as good.

Here are a few other delicious salad ideas:

EveryDay Feasts: "Sweet Corn and Pepper Salad" uses farm-fresh veggies and cilantro lime vinaigrette.

Simply Sarasota: "Sarasota Summer Salad" combines a due of both lettuces and fruit for this summer cooler.

Orange County Fare: As expected the West Coast--where it's summer all year-- loves salads. Try "Arugula and Steak Salad" when grilling steaks or "Snowball Salad" for a frosty cool-off.



Southern On Occasion: Garden-ripe tomatoes in "Layered Tomato and Mozzarella Salad" make a perfect summer salad.

A Peak at the Springs: A Colorado take on a summer favorite, "Grilled Watermelon and Jicama Salad."





The Vintner's Table: Try "Bulgar Salad with Summer Vegetables" while you sip Chardonnay.





Cincinnati Seasoned: A great "Fresh Italian Vinaigrette" with garden-fresh herbs for all your summer salads.






Recipes Worth Sharing: Summer means fresh peaches for "Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad."






Dave’s Favorite Thousand Island Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 – 1/3 cup ketchup
scant ¼ cup sweet or dill pickle relish
1-3 teaspoons vinegar

Start by whisking slightly over ½ of each ingredient into the mayonnaise. Continue adding ingredients until you like the taste. The key is balancing the sweet ingredients with the tart ingredients, which will vary with the brand of ketchup, type of relish and type of vinegar you use. This dressing is so much better than the overly sweet commercial dressing!

To lower fat and add more tang, try substituting Greek or regular yogurt for part of the mayonnaise.

Great over cooked vegetables, like broccoli, too.

What's your favorite summer salad and dressing?