We had a classic 3 Bean salad last week, and it was yummy. (Well, we had it at least three dinners, and some snacked bits with lunch … three cans of beans is a lot for just two people.) But it reminded us of just how fresh and flavorful simple cold salads can be in hot weather.
Now we want more! Who has a recipe for a favorite cold, mostly vegetable, salad? It can involve some cooking – like you pre-cook some pasta or rice or such – but mainly be a “combine these ingredients, pour over this relatively easy to assemble dressing, and let chill for a while before serving” dish.
Here’s a simple one I like a lot in the hot weather:
Lemony Shrimp Salad
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
1 pound shelled, deveined large shrimp
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh dill, parsley or cilantro (or a combination)
Lettuce, avocado or other vegetables, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a simmer. Grate the zest from the remaining lemon into a large bowl. Halve the naked lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise and oil.
Rough chop the remaining lemon rind and add to the pot of water, along with the shrimp. Simmer, never letting the water boil if you can help it, until the shrimp turn opaque, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on their size. Drain really well, and discard the lemon pieces. If you like, you can chop the cooked shrimp into smaller pieces.
Add the celery, onion, herbs and cooked shrimp, tossing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat, at least 2 hours.
Tear some lettuce into serving bowls and add chopped avocado. Top with shrimp mixture.
Mix and toss the following ingredients (and any others you like) in whatever proportions you prefer.
Romaine
Corn
Black beans
Tomatoes, diced (or halved cherry tomatoes)
Scallions, sliced
Tortilla strips
Shredded Jack cheese
BBQ sauce
Ranch dressing
Canned salmon, or other protein of your choice.
Instead of a mayonnaise mix for coleslaw I have added some Italian dressing. A little dressing goes a long ways, I use a 1/2 cup for 2 packages of premade coleslaw mix. I have seen some salads similar to this with busted up uncooked ramen noodles, gives it an interesting crunch.
I do like my salads a little “dryer” than most people.
Persian-style Lentil Salad has gone over very well at potlucks with vegans and non-vegans. I haven’t made this exact recipe, but it looks pretty much like the one I used. It’s very easy to make. I personally cut down on the onions, but if you like them, go for it! I hope it’s okay that I’ve pasted the recipe here.
Cold Middle Eastern Lentil Salad
This Cold Middle Eastern Lentil Salad is healthy, delicious, and packed with plant-based protein. Packed with crisp cucumber, red onion, roasted red pepper, fresh herbs, and a spiced lemon vinaigrette.
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Persian Cucumber (about 2 small cucumbers)
1 Cup Diced Red Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 TB Finely Chopped Mint (2 tsp dried)
1/2 Cup Chopped Roasted Red Pepper
3 TB Fresh Lemon Juice
3 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
¼ Tsp Coriander
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon or Allspice
Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Cook the lentils according to package directions. I recommend doing so in advance. Add them to a pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 18–20 minutes, just until tender (not mushy). You can drain and rinse them with cold water to cool them quickly before adding them to a large mixing bowl.
Add the chopped cucumber, diced red onion, chopped parsley, mint, and roasted red pepper to the cooked lentils and toss together.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and spices until combined before pouring the vinaigrette over the salad.
Mix together the salad so everything is coated in the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust any seasonings if needed.
Chill the lentil salad for a minimum of 30 minutes, but ideally 1-2 hours before serving for optimal flavor (overnight is best!).
Notes
You can use canned lentils. You will need 2 cans, which is about 3 cups, so use slightly less. Make sure to rinse them well before adding them to the salad.
If you can’t find Persian cucumbers, use an English cucumber.
Leftovers: For meal prep or storing leftovers, store the lentil salad in a closed container for 5-6 days.
I haven’t made this in quite awhile, so hope I don’t forget anything. For some reason, I never wrote it down.
Shrimp/Pasta Salad
1 lb seashell pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
3 cans medium shrimp, drained
Diced green bell pepper
Diced onion or shallots or green onions
Dill weed (I use dried, but fresh works)
Salt
Pepper
Mayo
Mix it all together and chill. Sorry for the vagueness of the quantities, but it’s basically to taste. You can top it with some larger shrimp for curb appeal.
I also like to make Waldorf (any online recipe is good). A bit of lemon juice. A tablespoon of sugar to offset the sour.
For a tossed green salad, it’s just mixed greens, walnuts, raisins, maybe a few dried cherries. Dress it with lemon olive oil and rice vinegar. Avocado if I have it.
I use pecans exclusively, as I’m allergic to walnuts. Here’s a quick way to toast them:
Put chopped nuts, about a quarter cup, in any glass container such as a measuring cup. Add about a teaspoon of butter. Microwave for a minute. Stir and check for toastiness. Continue to microwave and stir at 30-second intervals until done to your toastiness preference. Mine usually take only 30-45 more seconds after the first minute.
I mean, there’s a little butter on them, but… is there a downside here?
I like to do a huge macaroni salad now and then. I can’t really give you a recipe, because it changes every time. I always include roasted red peppers (from a jar) and persian cucumbers (with the peel.) I will also chop up some mild white cheese like provolone or mozzarella. Other than that it’s just a matter of what is on sale at the deli. I’ll grab some meat we like, and some cheese we like, and have them sliced to lessen the work when I get home. Then I just chop them into small pieces and toss them in.
There’s a frozen veg mix I like for this, “Santa fe mix” it has corn, black beans, white onion and bell peppers. It’s the perfect addition and saves a lot of chopping. If the deli bar has sweety drops (tiny red sweet peppers) I will add a bunch of those too. And a little can of minced black olives.
For the dressing I go perfect thirds between mayo, mild sour cream, and Italian dressing.
I also make a shrimp salad, but with pasta. It’s simple, but people seem to really like it. In fact, I just made it yesterday. This recipe makes a very large amount.
1 pound shell pasta (medium size), cooked and cooled
3 cans small shrimp, drained
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 minced garlic bud or to taste
dried dill weed - to taste, but at least a TBSP or more
salt
pepper
mayo
While the pasta is cooking, in a very large bowl mix all the veggies, dill, shrimp, salt & pepper with enough mayo to make it very wet. The pasta will absorb more mayo than you might think while it chills. Taste and adjust seasoning. Run cold water over the cooked pasta to stop the cooking. Let drain, stirring a few times to release trapped water. Add to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours, then check to see if it needs more mayo. When I bring this to a gathering, I usually place a half dozen medium shrimp on top for presentation and to let people know what they’re looking at.
I made a basic salad this weekend that turned out tasty (and a good compliment to burgers and dogs)
Cucumber and watermelon salad
You can make this and eat it in the same day (it comes together quickly), but cutting the cukes and watermelon in advance and letting them lose water will make for a less watery, maybe more flavorful salad.
4 Cucumbers
1/2 a watermellon
Fresh basil (generous amount)
Fresh dill (generous amount)
Salt
Olive oil
White balsamic vinegar
Peel the cucumbers and dice into large chunks (I cut the cucumber into quarters lengthwise, and then cut like 1cm “cubes”), and toss them with a light amount of salt.
Cut chunks of watermelon and put in a separate bowl. I used a spoon and ended up with a lot of irregularly shaped and sized pieces, which was fine, but there’s probably a more elegant way. The pieces should be bite-sized.
Drain water from bowl of cucumber, or transfer to serving bowl
Chiffonade the basil and chop the dill, and add to cucumber
Mix together dressing of oil (not too much), salt, and vinegar
Dress the cucumber and herbs
Add watermelon and toss all together
Add more vinegar to taste
It was a clean, refreshing side dish. Adjust the melon/cucumber ratio to preference.
Here’s one that I love. It feels like people kibble: healthy, delicious, cold.
1 lb dry navy beans, cooked (I cook 'em in my instant pot in about six cups of water with about a tablespoon of salt, but cook 'em however works for you).
Tons of finely-diced vegetables (diced to about the size of the beans), including:
-Best tomatoes you can find
-Cucumber
-Red onion (or yellow, or pickled)
-Colorful bell peppers
-Carrots
-Scallions
Finely diced herbs, like dill, parsley, basil–whatever sounds good
Minced Garlic
Dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and any extra herbs
Mix it all together and let it chill. Eat on it for a week, or take it to a potluck!
We had this salad at a pizzeria last year, and I’ve been making it ever since.
Little Gem salad with roquefort, hazelnuts and breadcrumbs
Two Little Gem lettuces, cleaned and separated into leaves. Leave the leaves whole.
A generous handful of toasted, chopped hazelnuts
A couple of tablespoons (or more if you are like me) of Societie roquefort bleu cheese, crumbled
A simple olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper dressing
Toasted bread crumbs
Toss the lettuce in the dressing and sprinkle over the hazelnuts and bleu cheese, making sure that the cup-shaped leaves each receive a bit of the toppings. Then sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs over.
This salad is so good that even Mr. brown eats it, and he is not a salad fan.
This is so simple I’m not sure it qualifies as a recipe. But I like buying a bag of pre-cut broccoli slaw or asian slaw. Add in some sesame seeds and craisins. Then add Marie’s or Marzetti coleslaw dressing.
It’s basically an imitation of Trader Joe’s broccoli slaw without the chicken and kale.
