52 Salads

11 Great Salads to Take to a Potluck or Feed a Big Group

April 1, 2019 by danawyyc 2 Comments

1. Southwestern Bean Salad

Bean salads can often be quite bland but this one is definitely not. Using canned beans makes it easy to prepare and helps the salad stretch a long way.

2. Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

Using brown basmati rice will keep the nutrient content of this salad but keep the soft texture that you get from white rice. You can easily feed a big crowd with this fresh salad without a lot of work.

3. Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

This is not your typical pasta salad but it is just as easy to make. This salad uses salsa as a dressing, pumping up the flavor and reducing the calories too.

4. Orzo Salad

Another fresh take on pasta salad, this salad uses tiny orzo pasta and mint to make a nice light side dish.

5. Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad

Looking for something a little different? This salad has just the right amount of heat.

6. Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Want a salad just bursting with nutrition? It’s hard to beat this one. It makes a ton so you can easily feed a large group.

7. Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Cauliflower has never tasted so good as in this creamy salad with cheese and tortilla chips.

8. Rainbow Fruit Salad

This fruit salad is easy to put together and makes a large bowl full without a lot of work. Substitute the fruit for what’s in season and you can’t go wrong.

9. Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

A little bit sweet and a little bit crunchy, this salad is a definite break from your everyday salad. It keeps really well so you can make it ahead of time or enjoy the leftovers the next day.

10. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Quinoa makes a perfect base for a little bit of a twist on the traditional Tabbouleh salad.

11. Salad on a Stick

Want a salad that you can eat without utensils? Try one of these options for a salad on a stick.

10 Great Fall Harvest Salads

September 26, 2014 by danawyyc 12 Comments

1. Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad

Nothing says fall to me like sweet potatoes. This salad is a little bit sweeter than your average salad but it packs a big nutritional punch. It keeps well in the fridge and is a great salad for Thanksgiving dinner or a potluck.

2. Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

Roasting is a lot more appealing with the arrival of cooler weather. This is one of my favorite salads of all time – it’s great still warm but still excellent the next day.

3. Shredded Yellow Beet, Carrot and Apple Salad with Orange Ginger Dressing

Lighter colored beets are a little easier to work with, but you can use any color in this lovely fall salad. I had no idea that you could eat beets without cooking them first.

4. Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

Still have too many zucchini on your hands? Try this raw zucchini salad. This salad is sure to impress. The prosciutto and almonds make the salad taste rich but it’s still light enough for a starter salad.

5. Kale Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Bacon and kale are amazing together. If you would normally shy away from raw kale, this salad may change your mind.

6. Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta

Roasted beets gives them a sweeter, rich flavor. Use up some extra beets by pairing them with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. Any color beet will do.

7. Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Salad

You might not normally think of adding roasted vegetables to your leafy greens but it’s a winning combination.

8. Butternut Squash Salad

Butternut squash, white beans and tahini dressing come together in this sweet and filling salad. It’s a perfect way to use up some leftover roasted butternut squash and can even make a lovely light lunch.

9. Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with Candied Nuts

Although this salad uses candied nuts, it would be also be great with bacon instead. Quickly boiling the Brussels sprouts softens their flavor as well as their texture.

10. Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing

Have you ended up with some kohlrabi you don’t know what to do with? Although they are good peeled sliced and sprinkled with a little salt, they make an excellent asian flavored side dish in this easy salad.

Salad #52 – Healthy Taco Salad

September 21, 2014 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I’m a big fan of taco salads. I find the ones that you can get at a restaurant tend to be really high in calories though. Taco Salads don’t have to be in order to be filling and delicious.

Increase the nutritional content by swapping the traditional iceberg for romaine lettuce.
Reduce the meat but none of the taste by making it into a dry chili with salsa, tomatoes, red kidney beans and spices.
Or swap the ground beef for lean ground turkey.
For creaminess, add avocado or just a tsp of mayo or sour cream to the chili.
Use a small amount of a strong cheese like old cheddar.
Crush just a tortilla chip or two for crunch.

Salad #52 - Healthy Taco Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce, ripped into bite sized pieces
Cooked ground beef
Chopped tomatoes
Red kidney beans
Salsa
Taco Seasoning
Avocado
Old Cheddar, shredded
a tsp of mayo or sour cream (optional)
A couple of tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions

Mix up the ground beef, chopped tomatoes, red kidney beans, salsa and taco seasoning. Heat in a frying pan until cooked through or just mix cold.
Layer your salad starting with the lettuce then add the dry chili and top with avocado, cheese, and optional ingredients.

Healthy Taco Salad - talkinginallcaps.com

Did They Eat It?

Stephen: It was good.
Nicky (2 years old): Liked the meat, beans and peppers.
Gordie (5 years old): “Too spicy!”
Dana: I love this salad. I like adding just a little bit of mayo for some creaminess.

Salad #51 – Pizza Salad

August 28, 2014 by danawyyc 4 Comments

When I told one of my friends that I wanted to make a pizza salad, she thought it sounded like the grossest thing she had ever heard. I have no idea what she had been imagining because when I told her what I was thinking she actually thought it sounded pretty good. This salad in no way will make you feel like you are eating a pizza. It’s definitely a salad. But a good salad. It’s easy to put together and you can mix it up by trying different dressings on the salad (maybe salsa or pesto?) or adding in different ingredients like mushrooms or olives. It would make a great salad for a light lunch.

Salad #51 - Pizza Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Pizza Salad Ingredients
Leafy Greens, ripped into bite sized pieces
Tomatoes, diced
Pepperoni slices
Shredded Cheese
Green Pepper, diced
Croutons (optional)
Catalina Dressing
2 TBSP ketchup
1 tsp sugar
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
4 TBSP canola oil
a few drops of worchestershire sauce
sprinkle of paprika
sprinkle of onion power or a tbsp of minced onion
salt and pepper

Instructions

Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.

Did They Eat it?

Dana: I didn’t actually share this salad either. But I liked it. The catalina was my favorite, but I also tried it with thousand island and zesty Italian.

Salad #50 – Spinach, Tomato and Avocado Salad

August 21, 2014 by danawyyc 9 Comments

Some of the best salads are simple and just rely on a great combination of good foods. This salad could hardly be easier but I just can’t get enough. It’s a perfect dinner salad because it looks lovely but takes very little work. It’s also easy to make for 1 or for a large crowd.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Salad #50 - Spinach, Tomato and Avocado Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes
Avocado
Spinach
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

Instructions

Cut the tomatoes and avocados into bite sized pieces.
Toss the tomatoes and avocados with the spinach and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Did They Eat It?

Dana: I love this salad. Actually I think I’m going to go make it for lunch again right now.
Nicky (2 years old): Loved the avocado.
Gordie (5 years old): “I like the tomatoes. But not with sauce.”

Salad #49 – Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

June 4, 2014 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I was looking over the salads I had written so far and I could hardly believe that that after 48 salads, none of them contain lentils! Lentils are great in salads so I couldn’t let that stand. This salad is fresh, delicious and unexpected. I love it and and I bet you will too.

Salad #49 - Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 can of lentils rinsed and drained
2 ripe mangos
2 bell peppers (I used yellow and green)
2 large carrots
3 green onions (1 reserved for topping)
cashews chopped or whole
Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 small orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp chili sauce (sambel oelek)
1 garlic clove minced fine
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Dice mangos, carrots, bell peppers and green onions.
Mix together with the lentils in a large bowl (reserve some of the green onion for garnish).
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a bowl or shake in a small container with a lid. If you want a smoother dressing you could blend it together instead.
Toss the vegetables with the dressing.
Top each bowl with cashews and green onions.

Did They Eat it?

Anne: Oh, that’s good. Stephen: Good. Gordie (5 years old): uh, no thanks. Dana: Early to make, full of nutrition, fresh and delicious. This would be a great salad for lunches or to bring to a potluck.

Salad #48 – Rainbow Fruit Salad

May 29, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

I decided to make a fruit salad for my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Her very favorite thing to eat is fruit so I thought it would be perfect. (I did make other things too). For some reason she likes berries and grapes, but not in her fruit salad. Who knew?

rainbow fruit salad

Salad #48 - Rainbow Fruit Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 tablespoon honey
juice of 1 lime (adding the zest would be nice too)
strawberries
cantaloupe
mango
green grapes
blueberries
purple grapes
yellow honeydew

Instructions

Cut the strawberries in half and cut the cantaloupe, honeydew and mango into chunks. Leave the grapes and blueberries whole.
Put them all into a large bowl.
Mix the honey and lie juice together and pour over the fruit.

Did They Eat It?

Gordie (5 years old): I liked all the strawberries and the grapes.

Nicky (2 years old):Loved everything but the strawberries and the grapes.

Stephen: Awesome. [I think he is making fun of me but I’m pretty sure he liked it].

Dana: Really pretty and easy to make.

Salad #47 – Buffalo Shrimp Salad

May 22, 2014 by danawyyc 1 Comment

This salad is filling, spicy and delicious. You can put it together in just a few minutes and you will be glad you did. Feel free to play around with it. Mix up the veggies, try different greens or a different kind of hot sauce.

Buffalo Shrimp Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

shrimp devained - take off the tails (fresh or defrosted)
greens - I used baby kale
yellow pepper, diced
baby cucumber, sliced
Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce
feta or blue cheese
Oil
Garlic (optional)

Instructions

Heat some olive oil in a large pan.
If you are using garlic, add it and saute until fragrant. Otherwise just add the shrimp. Saute until pink, it should only take a few minutes.
Add Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce to coat and cook for another couple minutes until heated through.
Remove from heat.
Put the greens, cucumber and bell pepper in a bowl. Add the shrimp and top with the cheese.

Notes

http://addapinch.com/cooking/2014/01/13/buffalo-shrimp-salad-recipe/

Did They Eat It?

Dana: I actually didn’t share this salad. Only I ate it. Ask my husband he will tell you all about it. It is totally delicious.

Buffalo Shrimp Salad

Salad #46 – Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

May 15, 2014 by danawyyc 2 Comments

I had some leftover cauliflower and wanted to make a salad but I wasn’t really sure what to make. I am not the biggest fan of raw cauliflower. A friend of mine suggested a salad that included cauliflower, cheese, thousand island dressing and Doritos. At first I wasn’t going to make it, but I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve always loved thousand island dressing – I used to order it all the time when I was a kid.

I recently discovered that it is shockingly easy to make your own thousand island dressing with ingredients that you might already have in your fridge. I like to say that I make it from scratch. When you make a condiment by mixing other condiments together, you totally made it from scratch, right? Anyway, I made the salad and it is pretty darn good. I would absolutely throw it together again if I found myself with some extra cauliflower. It would also make a great pot luck salad (as long as it is not sitting in the sun).

Retro Cauliflower Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

½-1 head of cauliflower
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 or more green onions
tortilla or dorito chips
shredded cheese (tex mex)
Thousand island dressing:
½ cup mayo or miracle whip
2 tablespoons ketchup
½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or cider)
1 tbsp relish (any kind)

Instructions

Cut cauliflower into florets. Cut green and red peppers into chunks. Put them all into a large bowl.
Mix thousand island ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables.
Top each bowl with shredded cheese, crushed chips and sliced green onions.

Notes

http://www.familycookbookproject.com/recipe/2454018/cauliflower-salad.html

Did They Eat It?

Nicky: liked the cauliflower. “flower”

Gordie: liked nibbling on the cauliflower and peppers while we made it.

Stephen: Tasty. Reminds me of crab dip.

Dana: I love thousand island dressing. Definitely worth making if you have some cauliflower lying around.

Retro Cauliflower Salad

Salad #45 – Salad on a Stick

May 6, 2014 by danawyyc 6 Comments

I first saw the idea of a salad on a stick in the Sweet Potatoes Chronicles Cookbook, How to Feed a Family. They used it as a cute lunch idea for kids. I thought the idea sounded potentially very cute (although maybe not so awesome in practice). I wanted to try out the idea as a party appetizer. I put together 5 different kinds and brought them to my book club. They went over really well and were definitely adorable. I did learn a few things about how to best make a salad on a stick. I also have 6 ‘recipes’ below. The watermelon one was the clear winner but they were all pretty good.

Tips for Making Salad on a Stick

Use short skewers. Toothpicks are too small. If you can’t find short skewers, thread the salad near the tip). Long skewers make it really hard to transport.
Only slide the ingredients along the skewer as much as you absolutely have to.
Put something that will stick at the base (eg cheddar cheese, cherry tomato).
Ideally, put the dressing on on a different plate from the one you plan to serve on. It’ll help with any potential pooling.
Make 1 or 2 different kinds. Making multiple kinds just complicates your life.
Feta falls apart and is really hard to skewer.

Watermelon Salad on a Stick

2 Watermelon cubes
1 mint leaf
1 bocconcini ball (fresh mozzarella)
drizzle of honey
drizzling of balsamic vinegar (balsamic glaze works even better – I found it here at costco).

Caesar Salad on a Stick

Romaine Lettuce
Bacon
Croutons (homemade is best because they are softer – cut up some pieces of artisan bread, coat in a little butter and bake)
Caesar dressing

Greek Salad on a Stick

My pictures show a piece of feta but in my experience it tends to crumble no matter how careful I tried to be. Instead, I recommend using a piece of bell pepper and putting feta in the dressing instead.

cherry tomatoes
slices of cucumber
olives
bell pepper chunks
drizzle feta or greek dressing (or mix up olive oil, red wine vinegar, feta cheese, salt and pepper).

Strawberry Spinach Salad on a Stick

spinach leaves
strawberries
almond spices
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
drizzle of olive oil

Chef Salad on a Stick

cheddar
slices of ham
bacon
cherry tomato
slices of cucumber

Caprese Salad on a Stick

I didn’t actually make this. But I really wanted to. I couldn’t find basil. Why is it so hard to find basil in Calgary grocery stores?

cherry tomato
basil leaf
1 bocconcini ball (fresh mozzarella)
drizzle with balsamic vinegar (balsamic glaze works perfectly)

Did They Eat It?

There were only a couple salad on a sticks left at the end of the night. The Chef salad seemed to be a little less popular than the others and the Watermelon salad was (I think) the most popular. I would absolutely make them again, but I wouldn’t travel with them unless I could find shorter skewers.

52 Salads

1. Southwestern Bean Salad

2. Rice Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Herbs

3. Fresh and Easy Pasta Salad

4. Orzo Salad

5. Mexican Street Corn Inspired Quinoa and Corn Salad

6. Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

7. Retro Cauliflower Salad with Easy Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

8. Rainbow Fruit Salad

9. Asian Lentil and Mango Salad

10. Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

11. Salad on a Stick

1. Roasted Sweet Potato and Cranberry Salad

2. Bacon Roasted Potato Salad with Kale and Tahini Dressing

3. Shredded Yellow Beet, Carrot and Apple Salad with Orange Ginger Dressing

4. Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Prosciutto and Almonds

5. Kale Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

6. Roasted Yellow Beet Salad with Feta

7. Roasted Parsnip and Carrot Salad

8. Butternut Squash Salad

9. Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw with Candied Nuts

10. Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Asian Dressing

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat it?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat it?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Tips for Making Salad on a Stick

Watermelon Salad on a Stick

Caesar Salad on a Stick

Greek Salad on a Stick

Strawberry Spinach Salad on a Stick

Chef Salad on a Stick

Caprese Salad on a Stick

Did They Eat It?

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