Summer Salads – More Than Lettuce
When people think of salads they often think of the basic, boring, iceberg lettuce, devoid of flavor, texture and the most lifeless food to eat. In fact, salads can have depth, personality, and make you question everything you think you know about your flavor palette.
Not all salads are fruit salads
Some of our favorite salad ingredients are fruit. We love citrus with slivered or sliced almonds, rock fruits like nectarines, peaches and apricots with pecans or pistachios and apples of all colors with candied pecans or walnuts. Summer salads should be light, crisp, but bursting with flavor. Grilled veggies always make a wonderful addition and bring about beautiful texture and a level of savory.
One of our favorite summer salads combines a gamut of different ingredients from sweet Fuji or Honeycrisp apples to the salty creamy taste of feta cheese. Drizzled on this blend is our homemade Peach Bourbon Garlic Vinaigrette. The spicy peach flavor is complimented with our White Balsamic Garlic Vinegar and elevated with our everyday EVOO of the Arbequina. Fresh, floral, but just the right amount of peppery goodness to really accentuate the feta. Add some sweet crunch with candied pecans or plain pecans.
Not Just Leafy Greens
Another salad that requires little effort and is a summer staple is diced cucumbers and hunks of fresh cut Beefsteak tomatoes. Sprinkle some of our Lime Fresco and toss for an absolutely delightful snack too. We love to add grilled chicken, drizzle with our Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic Olive Oil for the perfect 10 minute dinner. For even more flavor and heart healthy benefits, chop up some avocado and enjoy! Or just enjoy the tomatoes with fresh basil and drizzle some of our Tuscan Herb Dipping Sauce for an excellent summer salad appetizer for any dinner or serve atop pasta for a deconstructed spaghetti.
Finally, fresh Fuji apples, mixed greens, dandelion greens, pistachios, sliced golden beets and pomegranate arils. A mouthful right? This summer salad is an explosion of healthiness with levels of free-radical fighting ingredients. Drizzle our Fig Balsamic Vinegar to really bring out the golden beets, the saltiness of the pistachios, the tang of the pomegranate arils and finished with a sweet crunch of apple. Thinly sliced beef tenderloin strips or smoked salmon is perfect for this salad.
Whether you need a quick weeknight dinner, a weekend starter, or just something refreshing to add to your diet; these summer salads are bountiful options for a scrumptious bite.
