The Ultimate Summer Salad

Need a little salad inspo? Or a surefire way to impress your guests at your next backyard gathering? Meet my absolute favorite salad for summer entertaining!

This marinated salad is dressed to impress. It features marinated ripe summer tomatoes, a generous amount of avocado, fresh basil (don’t skimp here!), red onion and feta served over top of crisp mixed greens. It’s really simple to put together (just takes a little planning ahead for the marinating).

Veggies marinating

Fall Harvest Salad

Did Fall take its time arriving this year or what?! At least here in Indy it sure did. As much as I’m all for an endless summer, being half-way into October with warm temps and the trees green as ever was starting to feel a bit odd! As we move into November, the heat has been turned on, the trees are beautiful and full of color, and I have lots of raking in my future.

So bring on the fall flavors! Time to switch up the salad routine and add a bit of fall…

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Dairy Free Kale Caesar Salad

Ah, the ever popular Caesar salad. Always a favorite due to it’s creamy, garlicky, parmesan cheesy, bread crumb-y calorie dense goodness. So tasty, but not exactly the healthiest choice as far as salads go, and forget it if you’re ditching the gluten, dairy or have an egg allergy! Unlike a traditional Caesar, which can quickly weigh you down and trigger inflammation, this Caesar salad is perfect for cleansing the body, boosting vitality and also happens to be delicious!

I love creating healthier versions of traditional favorites that I know will fuel my body in all the good ways. This recipe…

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Raw Cauliflower “Detox” Tabbouleh

This delicious take on a Middle Eastern tabbouleh salad is raw, vegan, grain-free, and full of nutrients! Bursting with fresh flavors, these super-food ingredients also support detoxification, an alkaline environment in the body, keep your blood sugar stable, decrease inflammation, and heal your gut! Traditional tabbouleh uses bulgur wheat, but I’m replacing that here with cauliflower. Because…more vegetables!

And did I mention, cauliflower prepared this way also happens to taste amazing? Years ago, amazing and cauliflower would not have made it into the same sentence, if I was writing it, but I’ve come to fall in love with cauliflower, it’s…

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Vietnamese Zucchini Noodle Salad

How much do I love the flavors of Southeast Asia? To put it eloquently…so much. Really a lot.

❤❤❤❤❤This much❤❤❤❤❤

Vietnamese, Thai, and Cambodian are my faves and they’re all slightly different in their flavor profile, but all equally delicious. I cook recipes inspired from this part of the world a lot, because they are full of fresh veggies and it’s really easy to throw together something clean, healthy and delicious. The inspiration for this recipe came from a traditional rice noodle salad, but I wanted to try a combo green and noodle salad so I swapped out the rice noodles for…

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Easy Chili-Lime Tomato Salad

Ahhhh…summer tomatoes…

After three seasons of flavorless tomatoes, it’s finally time to savor and enjoy the summer tomato bounty! Depending on where you live, they may or may not be ready yet, but if not, they’re coming!

When tomatoes are at their peak, they don’t need much except for a little dash of salt, but if you like a little variety in your life, it’s nice to have some simple recipes on hand too.

This one is very simple, and depending on what kind of chili you use, you can keep it mild, or spice up your life with a little kick….

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Summer Corn Salad with Avocado and Basil

When you need a side for a friend’s cookout…

This one is always a crowd pleaser, easy to throw together and adapt to your particular tastes. It’s a good go-to recipe for a summer side. Plus…corn, basil, tomato, avocado! It’s such a delicious way to throw together summer’s bounty, especially here in Indiana, where there is rarely a shortage of corn! You really can combine any garden veggies or herbs here to use what you have and prefer. Use the corn as a base and go from there. The simple dressing will work for any combo!

Enjoy!

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Watermelon Fresh Salad

watermelon (2)

Watermelon Fresh Salad

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 cups chopped watermelon

4 cups baby spinach

1 handful basil leaves, chopped

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 limes, juiced

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well and serve.

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Zesty Quinoa Salad

Zesty Quinoa Salad

You want to know what’s weird? Somehow I can find no pictures of this salad. Very strange, since I am obsessed with taking pictures of my food and make this ALL the time! I’m sure to make this in the near future, so a pic will be forthcoming!! You can trust me, it’s very pretty!

Main Dish: Serves 4

Side Dish: Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed well

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 cucumber, diced

2 cups carrots, shredded

½ cup red onion, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1…

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Summer Green Bean and Tomato Salad

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Summer Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Prep Time

15 mins

Cooking Time

5 mins

Yields

8 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large shallot, finely chopped

2 tsp grated lemon zest

juice from 3 lemons ( about 6 tablespoons )

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add green beans and cook only…

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