During the summer, I have a hearty salad for dinner at least once a week. Sometimes I’ll add grilled meat and other times I like to switch things up with fresh fruit. A green salad doesn’t have to be basic and these Blue Ribbon recipes prove that.
Gwendolyn Kenitzer’s (Lakewood, CO) Cider House Steak Salad is one of her favorites. This tasty salad is perfect for a lighter meal.
Apple is the star flavor in this delicious steak salad recipe. Applesauce makes the dressing packed with flavor (along with honey and a hint of cinnamon). Grilling apples to add to the salad brings out even more of their sweetness. Combined with the sweet, crunchy candied walnuts, many different textures make this one delightful salad.
Pat DiMercurio’s (Saginaw, MI) Spinach Salad With Pan Seared Salmon is delightful.
“I was trying to find something different to do with salmon and decided to make an entree salad,” explains Pat. “The Bleu cheese dressing is pretty low cal, too.”
Seared salmon pairs well with the spinach and light Bleu cheese dressing. Although the seasoning in the salmon is minimal, it’s delicious. Pat’s homemade salad dressing is creamy and loaded with Bleu cheese flavor, but it’s not heavy. Adding the toasted walnuts gives the savory salad some crunch. So good!
Another simple salad made with fresh spinach is Monika Rosales’ (Pembroke Pines, FL) Fruity Spinach Salad.
“These flavors work well together,” thinks Monika. I couldn’t agree more and was surprised by how much I loved this recipe.
It’s made with only five ingredients so it can be tossed together in a flash. Tangy goat cheese mixed with the sweet fresh berries is fabulous. If you’re tired of a plain salad, this will jazz things up a bit. Perfect for summer when both strawberries and blackberries are fresh and sweet.
Angela Derby (Charlotte, NC) uses a mix of spring greens as the base for her Spring Salad With Fruit, Feta, and Pecans.
“Sometimes I just want a light and delicious salad with fruit and mixed greens,” shares Angela. “I love this one because it has Feta and pecans, along with the fruit.”
This fresh and fruity salad is beautiful, colorful, and so yummy. Strawberries and mandarin oranges add a touch of sweetness that mixes with savory Feta cheese. What brings this all together is the homemade raspberry vinaigrette. It’s the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. It’s so good you might want to double the recipe if you love dressing.
“I used to make this Grilled Chicken Salad, Restaurant Style in two different steakhouse type restaurants I cooked in,” reveals Peggi Anne Tebben (Granbury, TX). “It started out, I made them one day for myself and another worker for lunch when doing prep work one day when we weren’t open. It was so well-liked, we had people ordering it and I put it on the menu.”
With a combination of garlic salt and the Montreal seasoning, Peggi’s chicken is delicious! The ingredients for the salad are pretty simple – tomato wedges, cheddar cheese, green onion, and bacon. The juicy grilled chicken is what makes this one flavorful and satisfying salad.
If you want an easy and healthy dinner with minimal cooking tonight, try one of these salads. You probably have the ingredients for them in your fridge already. Happy Pinching!