Salad Recipes - Light & Healthy

Salads are only as good as the greens, which should be crisp and chilled.

Salad greens should be washed under cold running water, drained, wrapped in a clean towel or put in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator.

Salads can be made of almost anything such as, slivers of chicken, ham, turkey, salami, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, hard boiled eggs and all types of raw or cooked vegetables.

Spinach Salad

This Spinach Salad is excellent with buttermilk ranch or vinegar and oil dressing. Salads can be a whole meal or just an added touch.

  • 1 lb. fresh spinach
  • 5 strips bacon
  • 4 boiled eggs, sliced
  • 2 fresh tomatoes
  • 4 to 6 green onions, chopped
  • Vinegar and oil dressing or Buttermilk Ranch

Wash and stem spinach, drain.

Fry bacon. Drain and crumble.

Toss all ingredients lightly, reserving a few tomatoes and egg slices for garnish.

Use buttermilk ranch or vinegar and oil dressing sparingly.

You can certainly add anything you like to these salads.

English Pea Salad

This English Pea Salad is excellent with celery, green onion, green peppers and topped with a dressing made of mayo and sour cream.

  • 1 head lettuce (broken in small pieces)
  • 1 package frozen English peas(cook as directed and drain)
  • 1 cup celery, chopped fine
  • 1 cup green onion, chopped fine
  • 1 cup green pepper, chopped fine
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Parmesan Cheese

Mix or layer greens.

Mix 1 c. sour cream and 1 c. mayonnaise.

Spread this mixture over greens ( do not toss or mix).

Sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese.

Cover air tight, refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

7 Layer Vegetable Salad

This 7 Layer Vegetable Salad is excellent with the red wine vinegar dressing. This pretty salad is great to serve at dinner parties.

  • 1 can green beans
  • 2 ribs celery, chopped
  • 1 can green peas
  • 1 can whole kernel corn
  • 1 large red onion, sliced
  • 1 large bell pepper, sliced rings
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c. oil
  • 1/2 c. sugar

Drain beans and corn well.

Add all ingredients and marinate overnight. Serve chilled

Corn Salad

This Corn Salad recipe is perfect for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

  • 1 can drained shoe peg corn
  • 5 stalks celery
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1 small onion
  • 2 Tbsp. pimento
  • 1/2 c. salad oil
  • 2 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • pepper if desired

Chop celery, pepper, onion and pimento. To this add drained corn.

In separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour over first mixture.

Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving.

Keeps well several days.

Kale Salad

This Kale salad is best to prepare at least 4-6 hours ahead of serving, to allow the ingredients time to blend and get to know each other.

  • One bunch kale
  • Fresh squeezed juice of two lemons
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

Tear leave of kale apart, remove stems. Add lemon juice and sea salt. Mix well by hand or with spatula.

Add cayenne pepper, balsamic vinegar and oil. Thoroughly mix for another 2 minutes.

Serve chilled

Radish Salad

This Radish Salad recipe is one of my Great Aunts favorite salads. She loved to serve it with roast beef and potatoes.

  • 1/2 cup radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups lettuce, chopped
  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. oil
  • 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce carrots and radishes together.

Cover and let marinate at least 2 hours or longer.

The longer it marinates the better the flavors will blend.

Serve over lettuce

Tomato Cucumber Salad

This Tomato Cucumber Salad is excellent served with blackened fish or chicken, it's also excellent served with peas.

  • 1-2 real ripe tomatoes
  • 1-2 cucumbers
  • basil
  • oregano
  • tarragon
  • parsley
  • ground pepper
  • lemon juice (1/2 squeezed lemon)
  • 1 lg. red pepper
  • 1 lg. red onion
  • 1 bulb garlic

Use all seasonings to taste. You can't go wrong with the amounts of seasonings used in this recipe.

Stir in enough olive oil to cover everything well.

Refrigerate to let the seasoning mingle and serve chilled

Chicken Salad

Stir in enough olive oil to cover everything well.

  • 1 c. fresh cooked chicken, diced
  • 1 c. celery, minced very fine
  • 1/4 c. mayonnaise
  • 5 large eggs, hard cooked
  • juice of 2 lemons or to taste
  • 1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl add minced celery, diced chicken, grated eggs, salt and lemon juice. Stir lightly.

Add mayonnaise and stir lightly until well blended.

Refrigerate to chill

Spaghetti Salad

This Spaghetti Salad is best made ahead of time. Refrigerate to chill and allow all of the flavor to mix and mingle.

  • 1 8 oz pkg. Vermicelli
  • 2-3 cups mayonnaise
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 4 jalapeno peppers (chopped, seeds removed)
  • 2 stalks celery, chop finely
  • 1 lg. jar pimento, chop finely
  • 1 med onion, chop finely

Cook vermicelli. Drain and cool.

Add all other ingredients and mix.

Should be made ahead of time. Refrigerate to chill.

Macaroni Tuna Salad

This Macaroni Tuna Salad, is best made ahead of time, refrigerate to chill and to allow all of the flavors to mix and mingle.

  • 1 Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner
  • 1 c. mayonnaise
  • 1 (6 1/2 oz.) can tuna
  • 1 c. chopped celery
  • 1 (8 1/2 oz.) can English peas, drained
  • 1/4 c. drained sweet relish
  • 2 tsp. chopped onion

Prepare macaroni and cheese as directed on box.

Mix in all other ingredients.

Best served chilled with crackers, on bread or on lettuce leaf.

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