salad

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.

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 #43 – Easy Thai Cucumber Salad (Tam Taengkwa)

March 28, 2014 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

This salad is a variation on the Thai green papaya salad (Som Tam). This version uses cucumbers instead of the harder to find and less familiar (to me) green papaya’s. It reminds me a lot of the cucumber salad that my Danish grandmother used to make which was flavored with salt and pepper and used cucumbers cut very very thin. It was both familiar and novel. In Thailand it would be served very hot, but at home you can adjust the heat to suit your families tastes.

This salad coincidentally matches up with my new series Around the World in 30 Dishes.

Salad #43 – Easy Thai Cucumber Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

4 mini cucumbers sliced (or one large)
½ tbsp salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup rice vinegar
squirt sriracha sauce or ½ jalapeno
4 stalks cilantro
chopped peanuts for topping

Instructions

Place the cucumbers in a strainer and mix with the salt. Leave them in the sink for at least 30 minutes.
Rinse with cold water and dry gently with paper towels and place in a bowl.
Whisk the vinegar and sugar until dissolved.
Toss the cucumbers, vinegar mixture, sriracha and cilantro together.
Serve topped with peanuts.
Toss the cucumbers with the salt in a colander, and leave in the sink to drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and pat dry with paper towels.
Whisk together the sugar and vinegar in a mixing bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro; toss to combine. Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top before serving.

Notes

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/thai-cucumber-salad/

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Did They Eat It?

Stephen: Oh, that’s good.

Anne: Very nice. A little spicier than I would normally eat but it was good.

Dana: Simple to put together and nice textures.

Salad #42 – Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

March 21, 2014 by danawyyc 4 Comments

This salad is packed so full of nutrition that you just can’t help but feel good about eating it. It will keeps well in the fridge for a couple days which is good because this makes a ton. If you like your food on the spicy side you’ll probably want to increase the amount of chili powder – the recipe is pretty mild as it’s written. You could easily turn this into a great lunch by having some chicken or a hard boiled egg on the side – or even throwing a fried egg right on top.

Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Author: Dana

Recipe type: Salad

Ingredients

1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
2 fresh squeezed limes
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
½ tsp salt and pepper to taste
2-3 handfuls of fresh kale or other greens
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1½ cups)
2 large chopped carrots
1-2 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 avocado, sliced or cubed (optional)

Instructions

Mix up the dressing by whisking the lime juice, chili powder, olive oil, white vinegar and salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Separate the leaves of the kale from the stems and cut them into tiny pieces. I ran mine through my food processor which worked really well.
Chop the carrots (also great in the food processor) and the bell peppers (less awesome) into small pieces.
Add all the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well.

Notes

Adapted from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2013/06/kale-and-quinoa-salad-with-black-beans.html

Did They Eat It?

Nicky (2 years old): “no.”

Stephen: Good.

Anne: Great. Tangy but not too spicy.

Dana: I liked it. It was easy to put together and it makes a ton.

Salad #39 – California Roll Rice Salad

February 28, 2014 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Some of you (including my mom) may dispute me calling this a salad. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and call it a rice bowl. No matter what you call it – it is delicious. One of the things that is great about doing it as a salad is that you can customize it for your family. My kids both love California Rolls but Gordie always pops out the avocado and cucumbers (even though he will eat them both by themselves). This is also way easier than making actual california rolls and requires no special technique or even special rice. You can use sticky rice if you want, but you can use your family’s favorite kind of rice and it will still work perfectly.

Salad #39 – California Roll Rice Salad

Recipe type: Salad

Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice (I used brown basmati)
1 avocado
1 red pepper diced
½ cucumber or 2 small cucumbers diced
1 package imitation crab (or if you are feeling fancy you can use real crab)
Sesame Seeds
Dressing
1 tsp mayo
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
Mix rice, red pepper, cucumber and imitation crab.
Top with avocado, sesame seeds and dressing.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:14]

Did They Eat It?

Nicky: Loved it. Yelled “hey!” when I took the bowl out of her hand.

Stephen: Good.

Dana: I thought it was great. I love California Rolls and this is a much easier and cheaper way to get a similar flavor.

Salad #26 – Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette

August 15, 2013 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I was looking for some ideas for out of the ordinary dressings and my friend Heather (who writes a funny parenting and design blog over at Home to Heather) suggested a warm bacon dressing. This sounded like it would be perfect for my kale, one of the few things that I actually managed to grow in my garden this year. I’m not sure whether this is what she had in mind, but it was delicious nonetheless. I ate this entire salad almost all by myself. It was even really good the next day.

Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

(adapted from Just a Taste’s Raw Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing)

Salad #26 - Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
⅓ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
6 slices bacon (3 TBSP bacon fat reserved)
2 garlic scapes (or 1 clove garlic)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
salt and pepper

Instructions

Chop bacon into small pieces and cook in a frying pan. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan and dispose of any remainder. Add a little olive oil if you are short on bacon fat. Let the bacon dry and cool.
Saute the garlic in the bacon fat for 1 minute over medium heat. Whisk in the vinegar, mustard and brown sugar and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry pan until fragrant and just starting to brown. Stir constantly.
Wash, dry and stem kale. Then slice thinly.
Toss the kale with the dressing and add the seeds and bacon to the salad.

Did They Eat It?

Deb – lovely. one of the nicest ones I’ve had.

Nicky (17 months) – Loved munching on the kale leaves from the salad

Gordie (4.5 years) – Thought the bacon from the salad was okay but would be better without the dressing.

Dana – I thought this salad was great. I’m wasn’t sure if it would hold up the next day when I had pre-dressed it but it was still great though less crunchy.

Salad #19 – Thai Inspired Tropical Fruit Salad with Red Beans

May 31, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I’ve been generally trying to make delicious, but interesting salads each week, so I thought my Dad, who is living in Thailand, might have some ideas for salads that are different from what I would typically encounter or think of. He told me that for the most part, he has found their salads to be super spicy, so he suggested this fruit salad instead. Or something like this fruit salad.

Although the inspiration came direct from Thailand, I am not going to pretend that this salad is anything like authentic. He told me they use whatever fruit they have on hand, add red kidney beans and serve it over yogurt. And swore that he did not just make it up to mess with me. So I picked up whatever Thai fruit that I could find at the grocery store, added some kidney beans and served it with a honey lime dressing. It was really different but surprisingly good.

Thai Inspired Tropical Fruit Salad with Red Beans Recipe

Salad #19 - Thai Inspired Tropical Fruit Salad with Red Beans

Ingredients

Handful of kidney beans
small papaya
2 mangos
2 dragon fruit
2 bananas
½ pineapple
1 tablespoon honey
juice of 1 lime (adding the zest would be nice too)

Instructions

Chop the fruit into bite sized pieces and put them in a large bowl.
Drain and rinse your kidney beans and add them to the bowl.
Mix the honey and lime juice together and pour over the bowl of fruit.
Mix everything well. Serve over yogurt or eat it straight up.

Variations

Use whatever fruit you like – try strawberries, kiwi, grapes, cantaloup, watermellon
Swap the lime juice for lemon juice
Add some poppy seeds for a bit of crunch

Did They Eat It?

Gordie: Thought the fruit would be better without the dressing, but tried a bit of it anyway. Decided he now likes pineapple and the kidney beans were great.

Nicky: Did not like the beans or dragon fruit but LOVED everything else.

Anne: The beans are a surprise but the salad’s good.

Stephen: Tasty. Really different fruit salad.

Dana: I wasn’t too sure about this salad, but I ended up liking it. I’m not a huge fan of dragon fruit or papaya, but mixed in with the rest of the fruit, I didn’t mind them at all. I liked the crunch of the dragon fruit seeds. If I was making it would them I would probably add poppy seeds to mimic it.

Have you ever had a fruit salad with beans? What did you think?

Salad #16 – Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing

May 14, 2013 by danawyyc 4 Comments

I had been looking to make a great tasting broccoli and grape salad. This salad is actually my second run. I made one earlier but without adding a little mayo (which most broccoli and grape salads have about a cup of) it just seemed to be missing something. This one definitely isn’t. I love this salad. It is my favorite one by far. I’ve already made it again for our Mother’s Day BBQ. You will not regret trying this one out.

Grape, Bacon and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing Recipe

(adapted from Jaimie Oliver‘s Broccoli Salad from Jaime’s America Cookbook)

Salad #16 - Bacon, Grape and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

Ingredients
2 heads of broccoli
8 slices of thick cut bacon cooked and cut into small pieces (I often have some in the freezer that I take out and cut up)
1 large bunch of grapes
a bunch of fresh chives
Grainy Mustard Dressing Ingredients
½ clove of garlic grated finely
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cut the broccoli into small bit sized pieces. Cut the larger florets into 2 or 3 pieces. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute. You want it to have just turned bright green. Drain the broccoli and let it cool and dry between some tea towels or paper towel. Transfer the broccoli to a serving dish or large bowl when it is completely cool.
Slice the grapes in half and chop the chives into small pieces. Add the grapes, chives and bacon to the broccoli.
Mix the dressing ingredients in a small container with a lid and shake well or in a small bowl and whisk. Add the dressing to the salad ingredients and toss to make sure it is well covered. Add about half to start. You want it well covered but there's no need to soak it.

Variations

swap the grapes for cherry tomatoes
Use green onions or chopped red onions instead of the chives
try dijon mustard instead of grainy mustard

Did They Eat it?

Gordie (4 years old): tried some of the bacon out of the salad after protesting a little

Nicky (14 months): Loved it.

Stephen: Weird but good.

Anne: Really good!

Bronwen: Ooh bacon. It was really good.

Richard: Liked it.

Erik: Unexpected. I liked it. I didn’t think the ingredients would go together so well. I would have it again.

Deb: So fun. Grapes and bacon in a salad.

Grandma Mary: Different. Really good.

Papa John: Excellent.

Salad #14 Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

May 2, 2013 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

My plan for this salad was to make a side dish type salad that used edamame and miso paste in the dressing. I came up with this salad:

But it was missing something. It was okay. But just okay. So I tried again and added some red pepper and swapped out the apple for golden raisins. (I also tried a different miso dressing but I thought it was kind of awful.) And it was better. But still not awesome. I had some left over chicken in the fridge from the Cafe Rio that I had made the day before, and some lettuce and thought that making it into a main dish instead of a side dish would be awesome. And it was.

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing Recipe

(inspired by La Fuji Mama’s Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing on Endive Leaves)

Salad #14 Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients
2 cups edamame
2-3 carrots grated
handful of golden raisins
enough lettuce to made a salad bed (either ripped or shredded)
half to a whole red pepper sliced
handful of cashews
some left over shredded, diced or grilled chicken
Miso Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup miso paste (I used the kind based on brown rice)
¼ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
dash of siriacha

Instructions

Mix dressing ingredients together well. The miso paste might be a bit thick so you may want to use a whisk or food processor instead of just shaking them together.
Mix together the edamame, red pepper, carrots and golden raisin and toss with the dressing.
Layer the lettuce, then the edamame mixture, then the chicken and top with the cashews. Add more dressing if needed.

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing

Have you ever had a blah recipe that you’ve managed to turn into a winner?

salad

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

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat it?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Did They Eat It?

Kale Salad with a Bacon Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

Did They Eat It?

Thai Inspired Tropical Fruit Salad with Red Beans Recipe

Variations

Did They Eat It?

Grape, Bacon and Broccoli Salad with a Grainy Mustard Dressing Recipe

Variations

Did They Eat it?

Chicken Edamame Salad with Miso Dressing Recipe

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