As Summer is nearing the end, we take full advantage of all the amazingly delicious produce it has to offer. That means going to the farmer markets and scooping up some delicious berries and savoring every last bite of the juicy watermelon available. Also, this time of year our schedule starts to get a little hectic, school is back in session and the basketball season is about to start. With all the running around we have been doing, we haven’t had as much time to make some great homemade meals. But doesn’t mean we want to sacrifice the quality of food we are eating. This is why we turn to easy meals that can be prepared in no time at all and one of those easy meals is a delicious healthy salad!
We love salads because you can totally get creative with them and pretty much use whatever you have in your fridge and pantry. This week we put together a list of five fast and easy salads that feature some of our most favorite Summer fruits we still have sitting in our fridge. They are perfect to make for lunch, as a side to any dinner and will certainly be a crowd pleaser while you entertain. We also included a recipe for a delicious balsamic
1. Blueberry, Blackberry and Walnut Salad
This salad is so simple but gives you a whole range of nutrients. The berries are going to give you that antioxidant punch, the avocado, and walnuts give you your healthy fats, and hemp seeds are rich in essential fatty acids and are a good source of protein! This salad is the full package, but if you would like to add a little more substance to make it a meal don’t hesitate to add more protein. Our personal favorites on this salad are grilled chicken, sautéed shrimp or grilled tofu.
Blueberry, Blackberry, Walnut Salad
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
4 oz. bag of mixed greens
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 – 1 Avocado
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp. Hemp seed hearts
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Place mixed greens in a bowl and top with the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinaigrette to your liking, toss and enjoy!
2.) Broccoli Slaw with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cranberries
We love making this salad at the beginning of the week because it seems that as the week goes on it just keeps getting better and better! Since broccoli slaw is raw broccoli, it is loaded with insoluble and soluble fiber which is considered to be gut-healthy fiber and will make you feel full longer. Pumpkin seeds are full of valuable nutrients including antioxidants, fiber, magnesium, and much more! Since this seed is so nutrient dense it offers some great health benefits such as improved sleep quality, energy, mood, and immune functions. We love adding in dried cranberries to this salad to give it a little hint of sweetness.
Broccoli Slaw Salad with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
12 oz. bag of broccoli slaw
1/3 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. roasted pumpkin seeds (or chopped but of your choice)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in to a medium sized bowl until well incorporated. Serve immediately or let sit in the refrigerator for a while to let the broccoli marinate in the vinaigrette.
Notes
Can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days
3.) Watermelon, Mint and Feta Microgreen Salad
This might be one of our all-time favorite Summer salads! We say this because the watermelon and mint make it a perfect refreshing lunch on a hot summer day! Watermelon is a great food to keep you hydrated since it is 92 percent water. Despite it being mainly water, it also contains vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids. You can read more in-depth information about watermelon’s health benefits in our Healthy Watermelon Jalapeño Margarita post (plus it’s an amazing cocktail that you should try if you haven’t already!). The feta cheese we added gives this salad the perfect balance between sweet and salty. We used our favorite feta, MT VIKOS Barrel Aged Feta. It has a mild taste and wonderful texture, plus the goat and sheep’s milk its made out of allows our tummies to digest it easily.
Watermelon, Mint, and Feta Microgreen Salad
Ingredients
2 cups of watermelon, cubed
1/4 cup microgreens (we used snow pea microgreens)
1 Tbsp. chopped mint
1/4 cup Feta cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Place cubed watermelon in a bowl. Add feta cheese, mint and microgreens. Mix to incorporate.
- Drizzle with EVOO then add salt and pepper to taste.
4.) Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
We understand that you may be questioning this combination because after all, it does sound interesting. But oddly enough, it is so delicious! The sweet and tangy taste of the grapefruit pairs so wonderfully with the creamy and smooth taste of the avocado. It is super light and refreshing from the acidity of the grapefruit. Grapefruits contain fiber, potassium, lycopene, vitamin C, and choline. The combination of the powerful nutrients allows grapefruit to help maintain a healthy heart. Additionally, grapefruit has been shown to aid in weight loss, promote a healthy appetite and benefits your immune system!
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Grapefruit and Avocado Salad
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
Salad:
1 grapefruit
1 avocado
optional: microgreens
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grapefruit juice – squeezed from a fresh grapefruit
1 tsp. dijon mustard
Instructions
- Cut the skin off the grapefruit and cut into slices by using the natural lines of the grapefruit segments as your guide. Place to the side.
- Cut avocado in half, top to bottom. Remove the pit and slice avocado longways then remove with a spoon.
- On a serving dish, alternate placing a slice grapefruit and avocado until you’ve used all the fruit.
- To make the dressing, squeeze a fresh grapefruit into a measuring cup until it reaches 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil (liquid should measure 3/4 cup now) and then add the dijon mustard. Whisk together until well incorporated.
- Drizzle grapefruit and avocado slices with dressing to your desired amount. Top with microgreens and enjoy!!
5. Fresh Strawberry, Arugula, and Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing
If you have been following us, you saw that at the beginning of the summer we took a little field trip to go strawberry picking. From that adventure, we came back with more strawberries than we knew what to do with and ultimately this is how this salad was born. Unfortunately, we can no longer go pick our own strawberries, but we are still able to get our hands on some nice, fresh, juicy strawberries at our grocery store. And thank goodness for that because this salad never gets old we find ourselves constantly craving it. If you haven’t read the Fresh Strawberry, Arugula, and Quinoa Salad with Lime Dressing post, you are missing out for a couple of reasons. First reason, we take a deep dive into the nutrients of strawberries and let you know why they don’t only taste good but are good for you too. The second reason, you missed out on an amazingly delicious recipe. Luckily for you, we are including that recipe right here!
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FRESH STRAWBERRY, ARUGULA AND QUINOA SALAD WITH LIME DRESSING
- Yield: 2 large entree salads or 3-4 side salads 1x
Ingredients
5 oz. arugula (already washed)
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
avocado
Lime Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lime
2 T lime juice (or the juice of 1.5 limes)
Instructions
- In a mason jar with a lid, place all of the ingredients for the dressing. Place the lid on top and give is several good shakes to emulsify all the ingredients. You can also place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, place arugula and quinoa and toss evenly.
- Top the salad with goat cheese, strawberries, walnuts, and avocado.
- Toss with lime dressing – you will have a good bit left over, it makes a great marinade or store in the refrigerator.
Last but not least, here is the recipe for the Balsamic Vinaigrette! It is super versatile and can be used on many salads and even makes a great marinade for grilled chicken.
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Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard
Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until well incorporated.
- store in a mason jar or airtight container and place in refrigerator.
