Jumpstart Your Summer with Healthy Salad Recipes

Now that summer is in full swing, it is time to put down those greasy burgers and experiment with some colorful, healthy salad recipes. Yes, you can indulge on a burger once in a while, but summer is the time that you really owe it to your body to feel and look its very best. Plus, the copious amounts of produce that Summer has to offer helps to amplify your salad recipes even that much more. Try out these four healthy salad recipes if you want to wow your guests at your next barbecue:

Ingredients

• 16 oz baby spinach
• 1 cup almonds, toasted
• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp finely minced shallot
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Directions

• For the dressing: In a bowl or jar whisk together olive oil and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Stir in honey, shallot, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sesame seeds (your sesame seeds should look more golden than mine - I didn’t toast mine long enough) and optional poppy seeds until mixture is well blended.
• For the salad:
• Add spinach, almonds and cranberries to a salad bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately after adding dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup slightly packed chopped fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 2 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
• 10 oz cherry tomatoes
• 2 medium avocados, diced
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions

• For the chicken:
• In a small mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, basil, garlic, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp of each). Using the back of a spoon, press basil against sides and bottom of bowl (to help extract flavor from basil). Place chicken in a resealable bag and pound thicker parts of chicken to even thickness with a meat mallet, then pour basil mixture over chicken and evenly distribute basil over chicken. Seal bag while pressing excess air out, rub marinade over chicken and transfer to refrigerator and marinate 2 - 6 hours.
• Preheat a grill to 425 - 450 degrees over medium high heat (alternately you can also make this in a panini press, simply preheat to high heat for 5 minutes then spray with cooking spray, add chicken, close - don’t smash chicken just rest top over chicken. Cook about 5 minutes or until 165 degrees in center. A grill pan set over stove top would also work). Brush grill grates lightly with olive oil then place chicken on grill. Grill until cooked through, rotating once halfway through cooking, about 4 - 5 minutes per side (chicken should register 165 degrees in center of chicken on an instant read thermometer). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes then dice into cubes.
• For the dressing:
• Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar (or cover and seal jar and shake) until well combined.
• For the salad:
• While chicken is cooling, add lettuce to a large salad bowl. Top with mozzarella, tomatoes, avocados and basil. Add chicken. Toss lightly then drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over salad, or plate and drizzle desired amount of dressing over each serving. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs small red potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed and diced into small even size chunks (about 1-inch)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp salt, divided
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I prefer 1/4 cup extra-virgin 1/4 cup regular)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (from about 1/2 cup cup packed leaves with some stem)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives*
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Directions

• Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover potatoes with water (water level should come about an inch or two above potatoes), season with 1 Tbsp salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it reaches a boil reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until potatoes are just tender all the way through, about 10 - 15 minutes (they should pierce easily with a knife, but you also don’t want them really tender/mushy). Drain potatoes and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes (cooling is recommend so they don’t fall apart while tossing. If you want to serve them hot then plate individual servings of potatoes and spoon dressing over each serving rather then tossing everything together).
• While potatoes are cooking prepare the dressing - in a mixing bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper, parsley, chives and thyme. Season with remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste. Let mixture rest while potatoes continue to cook and cool slightly, then once potatoes are ready, pour drained potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Pour dressing over top and gently toss just a few times to coat. Serve warm or chilled.
• *Other herbs of choice can be substituted for the chives and thyme. The parsley is a must but the others can be replaced with other herbs such as basil, tarragon, dill or rosemary. Just use what you like or what you’ve already got on hand.

Recipes source: Cooking Classy. This website has loads of amazing salad recipes + more. You need to check it out!