Seven Summer Salads

I love salads. But to be honest, sometimes they get a little boring. After a while, the same old lettuce, tomato and cucumber just doesn’t cut it.

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying several salad recipes from our meal kits, along with other recipes from tastefullysimple.com. Here are seven of my new favorites that are perfect for summer meals.

1. Chicken Strawberry Salad
This is a classic that often hits restaurant menus in the warmer months. Who knew it was so easy to make at home? The day I tried this recipe I didn’t have quite enough strawberries on hand. I mixed in a handful of blueberries and it was amazing. I will probably do that again next time, because it was delicious!

2. Smoky BBQ Chicken Salad
This recipe had me at BBQ chicken. And I’m so glad I tried it. The corn kernels and tortilla strips added great texture and flavor.

3. Shrimp Cobb Salad
Don’t be scared of the ingredient list. It looks long, but you probably have many of the ingredients on hand. I loved how quickly the shrimp cooked and the classic flavors of a cobb salad paired with shrimp.

4. Grilled Shrimp over Spring Orzo Salad
Sí Sí Cilantro™ Seasoning adds great flavor with a hint of citrus. The recipe calls for fresh asparagus, I had some in the freezer that I steamed before using. It was good, but I think fresh would add a nice texture to the salad.

5. Tuna Salad Avocado Boats
This one I tried simply out of curiosity. I’m so glad I did! I’ve had it for lunch at least once a week since I first made it.

6. Chicken Power Slaw Salad
This is a great low-carb option and is lettuce-free. The base of the salad is broccoli slaw, which I had never tried before. It was delicious. I was surprised how much I liked the combination of seasonings used to make the dressing, and the final drizzle of sesame oil was a great touch. Hint: Go easy on the sesame oil. It has a strong, nutty aroma that I thought smelled amazing, so I used more than the 1 tablespoon recommended. I learned the recipe says tablespoon for a reason!

7. Mom’s Taco Salad
This was so good! The recipe uses already prepared Make & Freeze Taco Meat. My favorite part of this recipe was the Creamy Taco Salad Dressing you mix up with mayo, Mom’s Favorite Taco Seasoning and milk. It was so flavorful.

Well, there you have it. Seven new ways to be inspired by salad. And if you are looking for a new salad dressing, I have two delicious suggestions.

Honey Teriyaki Sauce makes a great salad dressing. Just drizzle it over veggies of your choice for a tangy vinaigrette with a small kick.

And seriously, you’ve got to try Creamy Onion & Garlic Dressing. You’ll never go back to ranch again!

I hope at least one of these ideas inspired you. Comment below and let me know which one you’re going to try first.

– Laura