4 simple summer salads

When I was a teenager I wouldn’t be caught dead eating a salad. Salad was just a pile of lettuce, maybe a cucumber, and some croutons—boring! Apparently I didn't know how great a salad could really be. In college I started paying more attention to my health and began eating more salads. I moved beyond cucumber and added lots of different healthy low-cal vegetables, I whisked up delicious dressings and added a little lean protein to keep me satisfied. Boring salads were a thing of the past.

Working in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, I’ve helped develop some salad recipes that are anything but ordinary, including our 7 Simple Summer Salad Recipes.

Here are four of my favorite salads. These delicious salad recipes from EatingWell combine the ingredients I love best to make a salad that will fill you up and are definitely not boring!

1. EatingWell Power Salad – Here’s our take on a traditional chef’s salad that is anything but light fare when it’s heaped with meats and cheeses. Our version keeps the satisfaction factor with lean turkey breast and reduced-fat Swiss cheese—and adds plenty of colorful vegetables to the mix.
2. Mâche & Chicken Salad with Honey-Tahini Dressing – In this salad, mâche (also known as lamb’s lettuce or corn salad) is tossed with spring ingredients—new red-skinned potatoes and fresh peas—and a lemony tahini dressing and chicken.
3. Seared Steak Salad with Edamame & Cilantro – Look for prewashed packages of Asian-style salad mixes at your supermarket—their peppery, exotic character is great with this full-flavored steak and dressing. Look for fiber- and protein-rich edamame (green soybeans) in the frozen vegetables section of your supermarket.
4. The Wedge – Forget iceberg; the traditional Wedge salad is better with romaine lettuce and a healthier ranch-style dressing.

TAGS: Hilary Meyer, Food Blog, What's in season , Quick meals, Eating green, Dinner