There’s nothing like a light and tasty salad to accompany you on a summer’s picnic or an alfresco lunch break during the week. Bursting with fresh and seasonal ingredients, a salad makes a delicious meal alternative for when the temperatures soar. Whether you’re planning a picnic or just want new and healthy meal ideas, these summer salad ideas will become your favourites throughout the warmer months
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad with Bacon & Avocado
Ingredients:
Dressing:
– 1/3 cup of honey
– 2 Tablespoons of whole grain mustard
– 2 Tablespoons of smooth and mild Dijon mustard
– 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
– 1-2 Tablespoons of Apple cider vinegar (Optional)
– 1 Teaspoon of minced garlic
– Salt to season
– 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
For Salad:
– ¼ cup of diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat
– 4 cups of Romaine lettuce leaves, washed
– 1 cup of sliced grape or cherry tomatoes
– 1 onion
– 1 large avocado, pitted and sliced
– ¼ cup of Corn
– ¼ of a red onion, sliced
Instructions:
1. Wisk all the dressing ingredients together to combine. Pour half into a shallow dish to marinade the chicken fillets for two hours if time allows. Refrigerate the reserved untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat on non-stick pan over a medium heat with a teaspoon of oil and grill the chicken fillets on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. Once the chicken has been cooked, set to the side.
3. Wipe the pan over with a piece of paper towel; drizzle with another teaspoon of oil and fry the beacon until crispy.
4. Slice the chicken into strips and prepare salad with leaves, tomatoes, avocado slices, corn, onion strips and chicken.
5. Whisk 2 tablespoons of water into the remaining untouched marinade/dressing and drizzle over the top of the salad. Sprinkle the bacon over the top and season with a little extra salt and pepper.
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients:
– 2 large cucumbers, sliced
– ¼ cup or red onions, sliced
– ¼ cup of Greek yoghurt (Or sour cream or mayo or combination)
– 1 lemon, juice and zest (Or ¼ cup of white vinegar)
– 2 Tablespoons of dill, chopped
– Salt and paper
– 1 clove garlic, grated (Optional)
Instructions:
1. Mix all the ingredients together in one large mixing bowl.
2. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavours combine.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Ingredients:
– 220g of dry elbow macaroni
– ½ cup of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise
– ½ cup of fat free or low fat plain Greek yoghurt
– 1 ½ Tablespoon of white wine vinegar
– 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
– 2 Teaspoons of honey
– Salt and pepper
– 2 steamed or hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
– 1 cup of diced red bell pepper
– 1 cup of matchstick carrots, roughly chopped
– ¾ cup of diced celery
– ¼ cup of diced red onion
– 1 Tablespoon of minced fresh parsley
Instructions:
1. Cook the macaroni in salted water according to the direction on the package.
2. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool and leave to the side to drain.
3. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, vinegar, mustard, honey and season with salt and pepper to added more flavour.
4. Add the drained macaroni to a large mixing bowl along with the hard boiled eggs, bell peppers, carrots, celery and onion.
5. Pour the dressing over the top, adding in the parsley to finish.
Peach Salad with Grilled Basil Chicken and White Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Grilled Basil Chicken:
– 450g of boneless skinless chicken breasts
– 3 Tablespoons of olive oil (Plus additional)
– 1/3 cup of chopped fresh basil
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
– Salt and pepper
Vinaigrette:
– 1/3 cup of olive oil
– 3 Tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar
– 1 Tablespoon of honey
– 1 Teaspoon of Dijon mustard
– Salt and pepper
Salad:
– 280g of spring mix lettuce
– 450g of peaches, sliced (About 3 small)
– 2 ear corns, cut from the cob
– ½ cup of chopped pecans, toasted
– ½ small onion, sliced thin and rinsed under water the remove harsh bite
– 113g of goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions:
Chicken:
1. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the olive oil, basil, garlic and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Using the back of a spoon, press the basil against the sides of the bowl, this is to help extract the flavour.
2. Place the chicken in a resealable bag and pound the chicken to even out the thickness with a meat mallet, then pour the basil mixture over the chicken and evenly distribute basil over the chicken.
3. Seal bag while pressing the excess air out and lave in the fridge t0 marinate for 2-5 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C, brush the grill grates lightly with olive oil then place chicken on the grill. Grill until cooked through, rotating once halfway through cooking, about 4-5 minutes each side. Transfer to a cutting board and leave to rest for 10 minutes then slice into strips or into cubes.
Vinaigrette:
1. Whisk together all the ingredients until blended well and season with salt and pepper to add flavour. Store in refrigerator until ready to use, stir again before pouring over salad.
Salad:
1. In a large bowl gently toss together the lettuce, peaches, corn, pecans, onions and grilled chicken. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the top and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately after dressing.
Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Poppy seed dressing
Ingredients:
– 6 cups of fresh baby spinach
– 2 cups of strawberries, washed and sliced
– 1 Avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
– 110g of crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
– ¼ cup of sliced almonds, toasted
– Half a small red onion, thinly sliced
– 1 batch of poppy seed dressing
Poppy seed dressing:
– 1/3 cup of avocado oil (Or olive oil)
– 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
– 2 Tablespoons of honey
– 1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds
– Pinch of ground dry mustard (Optional)
– Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Combine all the salad ingredients together with your desired amount of dressing until mixed together.
2. Whisk all the poppy seed dressing ingredients together until all combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper for more flavour.
3. Place the salad and poppy seed dressing together in a large serving bowl and serve immediately.
Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
– 2 plums, sliced
– 2 nectarines, sliced
– 1 kiwi, sliced
– 1 ½ cup of fresh blueberries, washed
– ¾ cup of fresh blackberries
– ½ cup of fresh mint, torn
– 2 Tablespoons of sugar
– 2 Tablespoons of grand Marnier
– Store bough shortbread, for serving
Instructions:
1. Combine the plums, nectarines, kiwis, blueberries, blackberries, mint, and sugar and Grand Marnier in a large bowl.
2. Serve in a large serving bowl with the shortbread cookies.
