Three Perfect Picnic Salads
By Elaina Donofrio, GalTime Associate Producer
Sure… lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers with a splash of dressing makes for a nice salad. You can even add some croutons to mix things up and add some crunch. But this summer why not try something different for your picnics or meal appetizers? Ingredients for salads don't have to come purely from a garden. With the following recipes, your picnic guests and even your kids will be begging for seconds.
Perfect Picnic Salads
Having light options, like this recipe, is a great choice when having a picnic. If the weather happens to be stifling, the refreshing juice of the nectarine will make a great addition to your menu. Adding fruit, such as nectarine in this particular recipe, or other fruits such as cranberries, apple slices, or grapes, can really cool things off on a hot day.
1. TOMATO, NECTARINE, AND BASIL SALAD
This recipe is a favorite of DeAnne McArdle's, founder of the website Unleash Your Inner Foodie where she likes to focus on great food and its impact on people creating unforgettable experiences with the people they love.
Tomato, Nectarine, and Basil Salad by DeAnne McArdle
(PRINT THE RECIPE HERE)
2. SUN DRIED TOMATO GREEK SALAD
This recipe comes from Mooney Farms and uses their delicious Bella Sun Lucci Sun Dried Tomatoes.
Sun Dried Tomato Greek Salad
(PRINT THE RECIPE HERE)
Adding cheeses or even meats to a salad is a great way to add some protein and even change a salad from a side to an entrée.
Judith Choate, a three-time James Beard award winner, includes this recipe in her book A Reader's Cookbook. The recipe is designed to be transportable, which makes it perfect for a trip to a park for a summer picnic.
Judith Choate's German Potato Salad
(PRINT THE RECIPE HERE)
Both potato and egg salads provide a solid salad choice for a picnic and will keep guests full until you're ready to serve the main dish. Pasta and macaroni salads are another filling option.
These three unique salad recipes will definitely please your picnic guests. Whichever salad you decide to use this summer, remember that you don't have to be limited to only vegetables! Fruit, potatoes, and cheese can spruce up your salad choices but maybe not all together in one dish...
What's your favorite summer salad?
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