Make-ahead summer salad recipes

With the onset of hot weather, I'm all about eating chilled and room-temperature foods that don't make my already-hot kitchen even hotter (or can be made ahead during the cooler parts of the day), and that take advantage of seasonal produce. I'm also trying to lose a few pounds, so I love to have healthier choices in the house to snack on when I get hungry.

With that in mind, I'd love to hear your suggestions for make-ahead summer salad recipes, particularly those on the healthier side.

I was in LA this weekend, and absolutely love the Santa Monica farmer's markets (they hold 4 a week, 3 of which are within walking distance of my BF's apartment). We started off the day buying some fresh lettuces, beautiful beets, sweet yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh figs and delicious strawberries. LA--and all of California--was in the midst of a horrible heat wave, so after taking a hot motorcycle ride through Malibu, the last thing I wanted for dinner was something hot. So instead we had a trio of salads, and it was delicious.

I'd made Rick Bayless's chipotle chicken salad tacos (recipe from Mexico: One Plate at a Time) a couple nights earlier, so I served the leftover taco filling (napa cabbage, red onion, chicken, avocado, carrot, cilantro with a balsamic-chipotle pepper in adobo sauce vinegrette) as a salad.

Butter-lettuce salad with figs and tomatoes
We made a butter lettuce salad with sliced figs, yellow cherry tomatoes and chopped almonds. My BF tossed it with his traditional French vinegrette: 5 parts grapeseed oil to 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part Dijon mustard, with salt and pepper to taste.

Roast Beet Salad:
My one concession to the heat: I wrapped the beets individually in foil and roasted at 425 for an hour. After they cooled, I peeled them and chopped them into bite size pieces. I tossed them in a simple olive oil-balsamic vinegrette, added a sprinkle of large-grain sea salt, some chopped cilantro and some grated queso anejo cheese.

We started the evening with a Pimm's Cup (or a modified version of a Pimm's Cup): Pimm's liquor and ginger ale over ice, with a few leaves of fresh mint. So refreshing on a hot summer evening! With dinner we drank a pinot noir rose from the Tours region, where my BF grew up. It was cool, crisp and delicious.

It was a great, filling meal made with fresh, primarily local produce, and everything except the tossed salad was or could have been made ahead. Although the flavor profiles of each dish were fairly different, we had common ingredients in each one, which helped tie them together.

Fruit salad:
Another one of my favorite make-ahead summer salads is a simple fruit salad. I'll made a huge bowl of this (several quarts) and eat it several times a day until it's gone, then make more! I never buy those pre-made fruit salads you see at the grocery store--they're dry and dull. A great fruit salad has had time for the juices to blend and coat all of the fruit. I take advantage of seasonal fruit, and my fruit salad is likely to include the following items, all cut into smaller-than-bite-sized-pieces so you'll be able to enjoy several flavors in a single bite:
Apples tossed in lemon juice (to keep them from turning yellow)
Cantalope or honeydew melon
Grapes, sliced or whole
Blueberries, whole
Strawberries, sliced
Mango (if I can't cut too closely to the pit, I'll squeeze the juice/pulp out of the fruit and into the salad)
Papaya tossed in lime juice
Peaches or nectarines
Kumquats, sliced

I cut these up, toss together and let it sit for at least 4 hours, but I think the flavors continue to improve for up to 3 days--if it lasts that long!

Not your traditional potato salad:
This isn't make ahead, but it's too good to omit. If you or your dining companions insist that a meal needs something hot for it to be complete, consider this non-traditional potato salad.

~1 pound of fingerling potatoes (the smallest you can find), tossed in olive oil, salt and fresh rosemary, oven roasted for ~30 minutes, or until tender
Handfuls of spinach
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 pint of strawberries, sliced
Toasted walnuts, chopped
Basic vinegrette (5 parts grapeseed oil to 3 parts balsamic vinegar to 1 part Dijon mustard, with salt and pepper to taste)

Mix together the spinach, avocado, strawberries, walnuts and vinegrette.

While potatoes are still hot, add to salad (making sure to get some of the salt and rosemary from the bottom of the pan) and toss lightly to slightly wilt spinach.

Serve on individual plates. Make sure each person gets some of all the ingredients.


So tell me, what are your favorite summer salads, particularly those that can be made ahead of time or will last a couple days in the fridge?

I eat a lot of cold pasta salads in the summer. My S.O. calls them "clean out the fridge lunches". Whatever chunky pasta I have lying around, miscellaneous vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, and whatever seasonings sound good at that moment. Today's version is pasta spirals, chopped black olives, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, broccoli, EVOO, black pepper, fresh parsley, basil, and garlic.

I use cold rice the way some people use pasta in summer salads -- just add veggies and dressing. I also use canned beans in a lot of summer salads. A favorite option is canned black beans, thawed frozen corn kernels, chopped onion, tomato, and green pepper, cumin, chili, and vinaigrette. No cooking involved, and most nutritious.

Cynthia wrote:I use cold rice the way some people use pasta in summer salads -- just add veggies and dressing. I also use canned beans in a lot of summer salads. A favorite option is canned black beans, thawed frozen corn kernels, chopped onion, tomato, and green pepper, cumin, chili, and vinaigrette. No cooking involved, and most nutritious.

Cynthia, do you have any tips for particular rices to use, or cooking instructions? When I've made rice salad, I find that the rice becomes either soggy or too crunchy/dry.

I just got back from the grocery store (my pantry was bare, so I couldn't wait until Wednesday for the Green City Market). I think I'll make 4 salads, including the roast beet salad and fruit salads I mentioned above. My recipes for the other salads:

Moroccan Orange, Olive and Onion Salad (adapted from a Claudia Roden recipe)
4 oranges
16 black olives
1/2 mild red onion, chopped finely
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pinch ground chilli pepper
bunch flat leat parsley or cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Peel the orange into bite-sized pieces with the pith removed. Toss with olives and onion.

Mix the lemon, olive oil, paprika, chilli pepper, parsley and cumin together. Drizzle over oranges, olives and onion, tossing lightly to mix.

Allow flavors to meld for several hours.

Grape Tomato Salad (adapted from the original Eating Well magazine, not the relaunched version)
1 or 2 pints of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 red onion, finely sliced (use a mandoline to get the finest slices)
2 T red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 t sugar
pinch of salt

Put tomatoes and onion in a bowl. Separately mix the vinegar, salt and sugar. Add to tomato mixture and toss well. Let sit at room temperature for a few hours to allow flavors to meld, tossing every 30 minutes to hour.

When I'm doing a salad, I usually use pearl barley for that very reason. However, different types of Maki and Onigiri fit into this requirement as well; we often make California Rolls on hot days.

However, our standard summer dinner salad is a green salad with added vegetables (one must be tomato) and cheese (usually feta, sometimes parm or blue) freshly fried croutons, quickly seared, chopped chicken breast and a viniagrette.

chgoeditor wrote:

Cynthia wrote:I use cold rice the way some people use pasta in summer salads -- just add veggies and dressing. I also use canned beans in a lot of summer salads. A favorite option is canned black beans, thawed frozen corn kernels, chopped onion, tomato, and green pepper, cumin, chili, and vinaigrette. No cooking involved, and most nutritious.

Cynthia, do you have any tips for particular rices to use, or cooking instructions? When I've made rice salad, I find that the rice becomes either soggy or too crunchy/dry.

I use Uncle Ben's Converted Rice. It doesn't get soggy and it doesn't get dry. It just keeps its perfect texture, no matter what you do to it. And I cook it on the stove top, not in a rice cooker, adding a little butter during cooking. Perhaps that helps keep it from drying out. But I've never had problem.

chgoeditor wrote:When I've made rice salad, I find that the rice becomes either soggy or too crunchy/dry.

When I'm making rice specially for rice salads (as opposed to making use of leftover rice), I use parboiled rice (e.g. Uncle Ben's Converted). The pressure steaming process they use for this rice makes it remain tender once it's cooked and refrigerated.

If I'm using leftover cooked rice for a salad, I typically stir it with a little water and microwave it to rehydrate it. Then I add dressing and let the rice cool to room temperature for serving.

Some salads that I live on most summers are:

Italian Tomato Salad
Tomatoes
Thinly sliced red onions
lots of chopped parsley
salt/pepper
red wine vinegar and olive oil
toasted croutons

Variations which make it more of a Mediterranean Tomato Salad
Add chick peas
Add chick peas and crumbled feta cheesei

Spinach and Yogurt
(sort of a raita, but with a higher ratio of spinach to yogurt, I think it can fall into the salad category)
Chopped frozen spinach - thawed
plain yogurt (greek is good)
minced jalapeno
minced garlic
salt and pepper

Variations
Instead of spinach use diced, boiled potatoes and
chopped cilantro

I don't really have a name for this dish which was created last year. So, for want of a title I'll call it:
Asian Shrimp and Pasta Salad
cooked linguine - cold
cooked, chilled shrimp (I butterfly them)
chopped jalapeno
chopped cilantro
chopped mint
lime juice
Thai sweet chili sauce (to taste)

Great thread idea; I've been thinking about the same thing lately.

Best cold pasta salad I made lately had short pasta tubes (ditalini), cubes of leftover roasted ham, peas, and some mayonnaise. Oh, and I added some fresh thyme, which really improved the flavor.

Several posters mentioned using rice in cold salads, but lately I've been using orzo instead. Sometimes it's just orzo and peas and nothing else.

I love a salad made with red onion, orange slices, garbonzo beans, and parsley.

My favorite summer salad is what I call a chicken souvlaki salad, basically grilled chicken and greek salad items tossed in a red wine vinagarette. It's pretty versatile. It can be made easier with prepared chicken and dressing, or it can be much more interesting if you marinate the chicken yourself and use homemade vinagarette. I have also done this in a two day process, especially when having a cook out with lots of leftover grilled chicken (or I make more chicken with the intent of having this salad for the next few days).

Chicken Souvlaki Salad

Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breast with lemon, garlic, oregano, lots of pepper, salt and olive oil. Grill, allow to cook and cut into bit sized cubes.

In a big salad bowl, toss the chicken with cubes of tomato, bell pepper, cucumbers, red onion, black olives and feta cheese with a red wine vinagarette. A variation is to toss everything in a tzaziki sauce instead of the vinagarette.

Serve with pita bread. Better the second day.

Also great for pot lucks and picnics.

Hammer wrote:My favorite summer salad is what I call a chicken souvlaki salad, basically grilled chicken and greek salad items tossed in a red wine vinagarette. It's pretty versatile. It can be made easier with prepared chicken and dressing, or it can be much more interesting if you marinate the chicken yourself and use homemade vinagarette. I have also done this in a two day process, especially when having a cook out with lots of leftover grilled chicken (or I make more chicken with the intent of having this salad for the next few days).

Chicken Souvlaki Salad

Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breast with lemon, garlic, oregano, lots of pepper, salt and olive oil. Grill, allow to cook and cut into bit sized cubes.

In a big salad bowl, toss the chicken with cubes of tomato, bell pepper, cucumbers, red onion, black olives and feta cheese with a red wine vinagarette. A variation is to toss everything in a tzaziki sauce instead of the vinagarette.

Serve with pita bread. Better the second day.

Also great for pot lucks and picnics.

I also do this but I throw some cooked and chilled bowtie pasta into the mix. Always a hit at outdoor parties.

Last night's dinner:



Ham and rice salad

Sherry vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3/8 cup mild olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups diced cooked ham
3 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup snipped parsley leaves
2 lettuce cups

Make the sherry vinaigrette: Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake well. (Makes about 1/2 cup.)

Make the salad: If the rice has hardened, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water, stir, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 2 minutes on high, until softened. Let cool and combine with the ham and green onions. Gently stir in the tomato and any juices, and the parsley, and add dressing as desired.

Serve in lettuce cups. 2 servings.

I have gotten in the habit of eating a nice protein laden salad every afternoon. Here are a few of my favorites:

Seared tuna crusted with Will's Southwestern Spice Rub*
Organic Baby Lettuce Greens Purchased at the Farmers Market
Tossed with Edamame Peas, Toasted slivered almonds, and minced raw red and orange bell peppers
Sesame Ginger or Balsamic Vinaigrette

Medium rare, thin sliced sirloin or rib eye steak
Organic Baby Lettuce
Red onion
Minced red and orange bell peppers
Maytag Blue Cheese crumbles
A Dash of real bacon bits
Chopped Ripe Avocado
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette or White Balsamic Vinagrette

Thinly sliced fresh prosciutto
Organic herb salad
Fresh in season blackberries
a tablesponnsized dollop of soft "tub style goat cheese"
Fresh chopped cherries
Toasted Pecans

Minced Brasa Roja Leftover Chicken
Organic Baby Lettuce w added cilantro for sweetness
Fresh thinly sliced strawberries
tangerine sections
Sugar Free Orange Vinaigrette

*Will's Southwestern Spice Rub

4 oz Spice House Mild Chile Powder
2 Tbsp dried ground chipotle
1 Tbsp ground dried garlic
1 tsp salt
10 grinds of fresh black pepper
1 tsp brown sugar

Mark Bittman had a nice article in the New York Times this week:

101 20-Minute Picnic Dishes

Many yummy looking salads within the list...

ChgoMike wrote:Mark Bittman had a nice article in the New York Times this week:

101 20-Minute Picnic Dishes

Here is the permalink to the article.

When linking to Times articles, if you click the little icon that says "share" and then click "permalink," it will pop up a window that gives you a URL that remains active even after the article is archived.

I disagree with Bittman's assertion that "pasta salad is no good."

Mhays wrote:When I'm doing a salad, I usually use pearl barley for that very reason.

Barley, cool. Have to give that a try.

This thread got me thinking of trying different bean-grain combos. Right now, I'm cooking quinoa (in the rice cooker, thanks to Cathy2's inspiration).

When it's done, it'll take a bath in a lemon vinaigrette with lemon zest, a can of red beans, a can of black beans, cuke and red bell pepper. Maybe thyme.

That's lunch for the rest of the week.

I love summer grains salads! Just made a nice red quinoa salad with raw mango, red pepper, fresh basil, coriander, green onion tips, cherry tomato, and feta. The raw mango adds a nice tart sweetness and the fresh herbs give so much flavor that not much dressing is needed. Dressing made from honey, lemon, and dash of vinegar. It can be made ahead or eaten warm.

HI,

I attended a family birthday party where I was asked to bring a salad. I thought it would be interesting to make a sweet potato salad, since I had several pounds sitting around.

I found inspiration with two recipes who could not have been more different:

1) Mark Bittman's Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Black Beans and Chili Dressing

2) Chilled Sweet Potato Salad With Coconut, Currants And Pecans Recipe

I needed to run the oven to bake a cake. I planned to roast the sweet potatoes at the same time. I would then make a batch of each recipe to check them out. If I had read the instructions more thoroughly in advance, I might have pulled it off. I only read them once the sweet potatoes were cooling. For the Bittman recipes, they had peeled and chopped potatoes roasted with onions.

I roasted the sweet potatoes until they were cooked through and suitable only for the Chilled Sweet Potato Salad. Just as well, because this exceedingly simple dish was gobbled up at the event. While not very pretty to look at, it was Thanksgiving praline style sweet potato salad one could comfortably serve in summer.



One woman asking for a recipe quiped, "I will be invited to more parties now, because they will want me to bring this sweet potato salad." I don't know if it will add zip to your social life, it certainly was well received.

Regards,

I have a soft spot for this salad from Taste of Home: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Summ ... asta-Salad
I leave out the bananas because I occasionally make this to last a week and take portions for lunch. I also make a version of my grandma's Neptune Salad: cold mini shell pasta mixed with red salmon, chopped green pepper or celery and pickle with hard boiled eggs and French dressing. Mr. Pie is usually very pleased with me when I make this, although these days I often use herbed tomato vinaigrette instead of the French dressing. I think my grandma threw pimientos in there too. If I look through my mother's recipe box, I bet I'll find the original in her handwriting.

I just had some BLT Pasta Salad from a recipe I cut off of a box somewhere. Strangely, there is no L in this salad, so I dumped it on some heirloom greens instead. It goes a little something like this:
12 ounces cooked cooled pasta (I used 16 of wheat); 3/4-1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used 13 slices, whatever that is); 3 tomatoes, seeds removed, diced; 1/2 green pepper, diced; 1 cup mayo; S&P. Mix well, serve over greens. Pretty tasty, and hopefully not as bad for me as it tasted (it's only about 1.5 slices bacon, and I used reduced fat mayo too.)