During the summer there are lots of events that our family attends which means bringing a side dish, usually involving a summer salad of some type. It gets incredibly boring making the same recipes for all of our functions. This summer we did some searching and are kickin’ it up a notch (as Emeril Lagasse would say). We wanted to make salads that were delicious but easy for busy family’s on the go. No more than 20-30 minutes to prepare an amazing dish that will wow an entire crowd!
In addition to saving time, we needed to make sure that all of the taste buds in our circle of friends and family are being appeased. This meant finding and incorporating a combination of salads that satisfy sweet and savory appetites. We have amped up a couple of recipes that are spot on delicious, and appealing to all types of palates!
Chicken Avocado & Cilantro Summer Salad
This salad is super versatile, you can pretty much add anything that sounds good in addition to the ingredients below, such as halved cherry tomatoes, or even cubed cucumber pieces! Delish!
Ingredients:
- Two large chicken breast (shredded or diced)
- Ripe avocados, not firm to the touch (1 large or 2 small)
- 1/2 c. sweet-frozen corn (thawed)
- 2 tbsp. cilantro
- Fresh lime juice (1 whole lime or 1 tbsp. of concentrate)
- 1/4 c. red onion
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
- Shred or cube chicken into large bowl (a cooked chicken from the deli works great for this salad!).
- De-pit avocado and cut into small bite size cubes.
- Remove leaves of Cilantro and finely chop, add to bowl.
- Dice a 1/4 c. of a small red onion.
- Take sweet corn out of freezer, pour into a colander, and rinse with warm water until defrosted. Combine sweet corn into the salad.
- Cut lime in half and squeeze fresh juice over salad.
- Add salt and pepper to taste- Lightly mix, to avoid bruising the avocado.
Additional Tip:
- The lime juice should retain the greenish tint of the avocado, but if you want to ensure your fruit/veggie doesn’t turn brown (from oxidation) don’t cut the avocados. Wait until you’re at the party to finish that final step!
Watermelon Mint & Amaretto Summer Salad
Ingredients:
- A whole watermelon (remove seeds or use a seedless watermelon)
- 1 c. simple syrup
- 1 tbsp. Fresh Mint Leaves
- 2 tbsp. Amaretto
Simple Syrup Ingredients:
- 1 c. sugar (use Stevia if watching your sugar in-take)
- 1 c. water for simple syrup
Directions:
- To make simple syrup, bring 1 c. of water to a boil on stovetop and dissolve 1 c. sugar. Remove the mixture from heat, and let cool to room temp.
- Cut watermelon into bite size chunks (*tip: use a melon baller for circular pieces*).
- Try adding fruit such as cantaloupe or honeydew for an extra colorful salad.
- Finely chop the mint leaves.
- Add 2 tbsp.’s of Amaretto liquor to the simple syrup and mix well.
- Combine the fruit and mint in a bowl, pour the simple syrup over the melon.
- Mix carefully to avoid bruising the fruit.
What’s your favorite summer salad? Share your go-to salad recipes in the comments section for a future feature.
