When the temperature hovers way above 90 degrees for days on end (100++ most of this week) I can't bring myself to turn on the stove or oven. Luckily, my husband is just as fond of entrée salads as I am. So, he grills the main protein on the outside bbq, while I assemble the remaining ingredients in the comfort of our air conditioned kitchen.
Some of the salads we've had in the past couple of months:
~ Classic Caesar with grilled shrimp or chicken, my homemade dressing and home-baked croutons
~ A Mexican version of the traditional Cobb salad: greens topped with chopped chicken, avocado, pinto beans, tomato, red onion, black olives and cotija cheese with a salsa, sour cream, red wine vinegar dressing (pictured above)
~ Nicoise Style salad of greens topped with Ahi seared rare, tomatoes, new potatoes and green beans (I cheat and cook them in the microwave) Nicoise or French green olives, boiled egg
~ Spinach Salad with strawberries, almonds, blue cheese, and grilled chicken with a lemon poppyseed dressing
~ Shrimp Louie--traditional except the dressing was served on the side, and the shrimp was grilled
~ Greek Salad of romaine, tomato, cucumber, red onion, pepperoncini, kalmata olives, feta cheese, and grilled salmon with a red wine dressing flavored with garlic and oregano
As you can see, we LOVE salads, and the possibilities are endless.
Get some great ideas at this website:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/10-classic-diy-salad-creations/
Of course, everything tastes better when served in vintage style--perfect example from nachokitty.etsy.com:
