Poll: Favorite Meal-size Salads for Summer
 

Now that hot weather has struck...I have made a couple of dinners that are salad, period. Minimal cooking. I'm not into HOT HOT HOT kitchens!

If you have a favorite, please add to the list below, with ingredients and a quick how-to.

So far I have made:

1. Chicken Caesar: slice up chicken breasts, marinate in Ceasar dressing for an hour. Fry quickly in a little olive oil in a hot pan. Chop romaine and tomatoes. Place lettuce on plates and top with chicken, tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and more caesar dressing.

2. Chicken, Bacon & Fresh Mozzarella: Dice bacon and fry in pan while thin-slicing chicken. Remove bacon and quickly fry the chicken. While chicken is frying, prepare plates of spring mix lettuce and snip basil over the top. Dice some fresh mozzarella. When chicken has cooled, toss with grated parmesan, mix with bacon and spoon over lettuce. Top with fresh mozzarella cubes and cracked pepper. Serve with oil and vinegar.

My daily favorite salad is roasted chicken breast or tuna fish over tender leafy greens (butter or bib) with my homemade Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette.

I slow cook the chicken on the weekends and slice it up. Place into portion size containers... when I get ready to eat my salad, I pop chicken into the microwave for a couple of mins to thaw and either quickly pan brown it or broil for 4 mins in oven ~ easy pea-sy yumminess!!

How do your make you garlic dijon dressing?

ooh, great thread topic- i love salads!

1. hands down favorite--
i roasted a tray of brussels and bell peppers- usually orange and yellow, or yellow and red- to make them pretty. i toss in sea salt and garlic, and roast until lightly browning-- usually 30 to 35 mins at 350.
i keep them in fridge.
when it is salad time- i layer lettuce, then roasted veggies, then goat cheese, and sometimes garlic chicken. i dress with apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar plus EVOO, sea salt and a packet of splenda.

2. tomato and fresh mozzarella with fresh basil. then i top with grilled shrimp (picked the shrimp twist up from a local restaurant). i dress with a balsamic and fresh sea salt.

3. i like to cook shrimp in wing sauce, then top lightly wilted spinach with them, plus bluecheese dressing (ranch would be fine, too if you prefer). chicken also works here.

4. spinach, baked salmon, and green goddess dressing- i usually add avocado and fresh tomato as well.

Robin, I love your food ideas!
Kat

I agree, Paula, great thread!

My J is full of a Garlic Shrimp Caesar Salads - I saute raw peeled shrimp in butter and a clove of sliced fresh garlic, let it cool on a plate and put torn romaine in a bowl. If you want crisp something without croutons I dice celery in there. Assemble romaine, garlic shrimp and scraped pan drippings, Parmesan, celery if using, and use your favorite Caesar dressing. Many times I make a home-made Ranch instead.
Kat

Roast beef, arugula, avocado & tomato, dressed with EVOO and champagne vinegar!

I like to prepare a main dish salad that tastes just like a bunless Big Mac.

I grill a burger while I'm chopping the salad:

shredded iceberg lettuce
a few grape tomatoes diced
chopped dill pickles
chopped sweet onion

"special sauce" dressing:
tablespoon real mayo
tablespoon sf ketchup
tsp sf relish (mount olive brand is the only one I can find in stores)
tablespoon sour cream

When burger is done melt slice of American cheese on it then cut it up and add to the salad. Stir in special sauce dressing and add a few shakes of black pepper.

The grilled burger is really what makes this a keeper... it just isn't the same with a pan fried hamburger.

I suppose a slice or two of crispy bacon chopped up and mixed in would send this salad completely over the edge in taste. :lol:

Oh my... yes. This would be delicious!

Yum, Good thread Paula.
Making me hungry...

Wow, there are some good ideas on this thread!

Robin, I love the roasted vegetable/goat cheese idea! Also - wing sauce shrimp, and green goddess on spinach and salmon! That's what I'm talking' about!

Kat, never thought to dress a salad with pan drippings - great idea!

MICHE68, I have made a cheeseburger salad before but not with pickles and onion. My mouth is watering thinking of this. Thanks.

ImOnMyWay, steak and avo on a salad....heaven!!

Thanks for all the great ideas, ladies! I hope more ideas roll in, too...

Wow, I am loving these ideas too - Love the cheeseburger salad MICH and I'm On, that sounds delicious too... I always say a bad salad is a crime... :D
Kat

One of my favorites, when I'm not in the mood for meat, is avocado & tomato dressed with a mix of EVOO & balsamic vinegar.

I just learned about roasted garlic red wine vinegar and might try that in place of the balsamic vinegar n

My brother-in-law used to dice avocado and tomato and mix with mayo. It was good!

Shrimp or poached salmon. The shrimp is bought cooked, frozen, peeled...just let it defrost in fridge during the day. Or buy fresh cooked salmon... No cooking, no prep is the goal in the summer.

Make whatever salad base with whatever veggies you like, add avocado slices for richness, goat cheese (or other cheese), walnuts or pecans for crunch, and favorite dressing.