Summer is the perfect time to start eating salads. These tasty combinations will keep you happy when it’s so hot outside that all you can eat is a cool, light treat. Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store. You can also gather some organic, in season ingredients at a local farmers market. These work great as a side or add some goat cheese and almonds or a lightly grilled chicken breast to make it a main course meal!
Herb Salad with Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette
The fresh cherries in the vinaigrette offset the bitter taste of the herb salad perfectly. Use a pre-mixed herb salad available at the grocery store or make your own mix of dark leafy greens such as baby spinach or kale, arugula or chard with some bitter leafy herbs such as cilantro, parsley and dill.
Ingredients
- Fresh Herb Salad
- 1/4 cup Fresh Cherries (pitted and chopped)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Table Spoons Balsamic Vinegar
- Optional: Grilled Chicken Breast
Directions
- First make the vinaigrette. Add pitted and chopped cherries with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to a sealable container for salad dressing. (Mason jars or old, clean dressing bottles work well for this) Shake a few times to combine and store in the fridge for a few hours to overnight to allow the flavors to combine.
- In a large bowl add Fresh Herb Salad mix with cherry balsamic vinaigrette. Toss to disperse the vinaigrette and serve.
- Serve as is as a side or add a small portion of grilled chicken breast to make it an entrée.
Golden Beets with Kale and Carrot Greens
This recipe combines sweet and bitter again with some seasonal items. The beets and carrot greens will add an earthy taste as well. Try finding carrot greens at a local farmers market or an organic grocer where they are more likely to keep the tops attached to the carrots.
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 2 golden beets
- 1 cup carrot greens
- 2 Table spoons olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- Optional: Goat Cheese, Raw Almonds
Directions
- Rinse and chop golden beets, removing the skin. Tear kale into smaller pieces and wash with carrot greens.
- Add olive oil, beets, kale and greens. Mix well and refrigerate. You may add a pinch of salt to the mix as well for taste.
- Serve as a side or add goat cheese and raw almonds to taste to add some protein and make it a meal.
Kristy Brannon is a freelance writer who is always trying to make time in her busy schedule for better health. She is a yoga and running enthusiast and enjoys reading about the science behind how our bodies work. Kristy loves to cook and likes changing a classic recipe into a healthier option. She hopes to continue improving on herself with exercise and... Read More
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