Last updated on August 11th, 2022 at 09:42 pm
When the weather starts to warm and the sun is shining brightly in the sky, a hot meal can be the last thing on your mind. If you’ve ever grown your own fruits and vegetables, you’ll know they taste better in the summer when they’re naturally perfectly ripe.
Salads are so versatile and easy to make that you can please everyone with a few basic ingredients. A light, refreshing salad can often hit the spot not to mention being a great addition to a BBQ or picnic.
We have included salads suitable for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans. These can be adapted to any dietary requirements.
Salads With Meat
Bacon Jalapeño Corn Salad
Corn on the cob is great in the summer either to eat with a slather of butter on top or mixed into a salad as a BBQ side. This salad would make a perfect side dish as it’s quick and simple to make.
Most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen cupboards, although you may have to go out to buy some fresh herbs.
All the ingredients including corn, bacon, mayonnaise and jalapeños are mixed into a bowl and garnished with herbs. It’s really that easy and guaranteed to be a hit.
You can always take the jalapeños out if you’d like to reduce the heat for the dish or serve with a cooling sour cream dip depending on your preference.
For an extra crunch and smokey BBQ flavor, why not try cooking the corn on the grill beforehand.
Salads With Seafood
A little more on the expensive side on account of the shrimp, this salad isn’t necessarily an everyday summer meal. If you’re able to source good quality shrimp easily, this may not be an issue.
The dressing of this salad brings you flavors from Asia with a beautiful blend of white miso paste, freshly grated ginger and toasted sesame oil.
Napa cabbage, cucumber and avocado surround the central shrimp and mango components. Although you may not think it, mango and shrimp have been paired numerous times and work surprisingly well together. The sweetness of the mango and bitterness of the limes in the shrimp creates a pleasant flavor sensation.
This salad is packed full of fresh foods that have loads of immune-boosting health benefits and is a great way to hit all the food groups with one meal.
Vegetarian Salads
Epic Summer Salad
This recipe includes a mixture of fruits and vegetables providing a refreshing twist. In addition to the usual salad ingredients such as spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and avocado this salad features mango and black beans.
The dressing requires a dash of chopping but most ingredients can be easily blended in a food processor. You’ll also need a zester for the lemons. If white wine vinegar isn’t to your taste then you can substitute this with any other vinegar or extra lemon juice to create that bitter taste.
Although this is a vegetarian salad, it pairs nicely with a lamb kebab making it a great crowd-pleaser.
Halloumi, Carrot And Orange Salad
Another one for the veggies. If you’ve been a vegetarian for a while, you may have noticed that halloumi is a good staple to make dishes more filling. Adding halloumi to a salad is a great way to turn a side dish into a main course.
If you don’t know what halloumi is, it’s a salty greek cheese that you grill and it’s delicious. Adding orange and carrot to the cheese gives you a sweet, earthy flavor balanced out by the salt of the halloumi. On a bed of fresh watercress, it’ll taste just like summer.
It is a great low-calorie salad which is high in protein. For a more filling alternative, try adding baby spinach to the watercress.
Vegan Salads
Greek salads are extremely popular and it’s not hard to see why, they are a perfect blend of crunchy, tangy and salty. Traditional Greek salads use feta cheese, however, this is left out of this recipe making it vegan.
The basics of a greek salad include tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and Kalamata olives. Here green bell pepper is added for extra crunch. It may seem strange that there aren’t any leafy greens, but this is to enhance the juiciness of the ingredients at the height of the ripeness in summer.
The dressing contains Dijon mustard, which is usually vegan but we would recommend checking the label first, olive oil and red wine vinegar mixed with herbs and spices really packing it with flavor.
A greek salad is a great party food as it’s inexpensive to make and can easily be made vegan by putting the feta on the side for those that would like it.
Green Goddess Quinoa Summer Salad
Quinoa is a staple salad base. You can add anything to it to construct your perfect salad. Here, cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves have been added to the quinoa. The main event is the salad dressing or ‘Magic Green Sauce’ which takes about 5 minutes to make.
The dressing consists of nuts and avocado blended with oil, garlic and herbs and spices to form a really creamy consistency. Once it’s combined with the salad ingredients you can serve.
As this recipe is extremely versatile you can avoid food waste by adding any leftover vegetables in the refrigerator. Another crowd-pleasing dish, cheese or chicken can be added to this or served on the side.
Conclusion
Salads are a versatile and healthy option during the warm summer months that can be incredibly revitalizing. The great thing about salads is that you can add or remove ingredients to work around you and your guests without compromising the flavors!
We hope you try out some of these recipes and find your new favorite summer salad.
