I call this one "Almost no calorie cucumber salad".
1 seedless european cucumber -peeled or
1 regular cucumber - peeled and seeded
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp Splenda
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Slice cucumber and onion thinly, stir together vinegar, Splenda and pepper flakes and pour over cucumbers and onions.
Let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

I make a similar one but use sugar....but only about 1 teaspoon.
One sweet onion ( like Vidalia or Maui or Colorado sweet) Sliced into thick slices and then those sliced cut into chunks.
One cuke cut into thick slices and the slices quartered.
2 or 3 tomatoes also cut into chunks
1 green bell pepper also cut into about 1 inch chunks.
Toss with about
3 T. olive oil until all is coated, sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, add
1 tablespoon cider vinegar...or more if you like it really sour.
Let stand at least an hour and serve.
It seems that all my favorite salads are somewhat "evil". I love a spinach salad with bacon, and I have a seafood salad with lots of veggies and a simple vinagrette dressing...but it contains pasta...I live that bok choy salad with the raman noodles...but I like it best when the noodles are first cooked in butter and sugar before being crumbled onto the salad...

The original recipe has sugar, but DH is diabetic and he can have as much as he wants when I make it with Splenda.

Tabouleh is my favorite summer salad. Below is a link to a Food Network recipe similar to mine. I think I use a little more bulghur and less parsley, but basically about 1 cup bulghur to 1 bunch parsley. I flavor mine with scallions, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. I don't like to add tomatoes unless I am going to serve it quite soon. I add chopped green pepper and cukes sometimes, and you can improvise with radishes and other veggies. I serve it with fresh cut tomatoes. Good also with feta. A light summer dinner is hummus or lowfat eggplant dip, tabouleh, pita, feta, tomatoes, cuke salad, etc, and grapes or melon for dessert. A half a melon is great served filled with lowfat frozen yogurt!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kathleen Daelemans Tabouleh

The original recipe has sugar, but DH is diabetic and he can have as much as he wants when I make it with Splenda.

Tabouleh is my favorite summer salad. Below is a link to a Food Network recipe similar to mine. I think I use a little more bulghur and less parsley, but basically about 1 cup bulghur to 1 bunch parsley. I flavor mine with scallions, mint, lemon juice and olive oil. I don't like to add tomatoes unless I am going to serve it quite soon. I add chopped green pepper and cukes sometimes, and you can improvise with radishes and other veggies. I serve it with fresh cut tomatoes. Good also with feta. A light summer dinner is hummus or lowfat eggplant dip, tabouleh, pita, feta, tomatoes, cuke salad, etc, and grapes or melon for dessert. A half a melon is great served filled with lowfat frozen yogurt!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kathleen Daelemans Tabouleh

I'll second that - twice.

(Does anyone else find that the CF is acting goofy?)

Yep, something is definitely amiss with the forum. This morning I couldn't even access it.

Here is a new one I made to take to my son's this afternoon. It is very good, I was not sure how the mango would fit in, but it works perfectly!

Roasted Corn, Black Bean, and Mango Salad
From Cooking Light

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 6 ears)
2 cups diced peeled ripe mango (about 2 pounds)
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 drained canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
8 cups gourmet salad greens

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in corn; cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Place corn mixture in a large bowl. Add mango and remaining ingredients except greens; stir well. Arrange 1 cup greens on each of 8 plates. Spoon 1 cup corn mixture over greens.

Linda

I am a salad fiend, and make salads out of just about everything. We love to bbq during the Summer, and whatever meat or fish we have, I always make extra so that I'll have another meal handy in a plate of salad with some grilled meats on the side.

Israeli Salad is a favorite, easy, fresh tasting, and it goes with anything.

Chop equal amounts of cucumbers & tomatoes in about a 1/4 inch dice. Add your choice of other veggies...sweet onions, bell pepper, radishes, frozen corn kernels or peas, apples, pears (crisp varieties), melon, jicama, etc..you get the idea. I prefer to limit it to 4 items, so that each flavor can stand on it's own, without being too confused.

Finely chop herbs of your choice. I like parsley, or mint, and sometimes one of the mint cousins like marjoram. Sometimes I use chives.

Mix a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh lemon juice, in the proportions you favor. I like to use 2 parts of lemon juice to 1 part oil as I like the tart flavor, and tend to go easy on the salt as people can always add it at table. I love this with Meyer lemons, as the juice is on the sweet side, but you can use the more acidic varieties if that's what you have, though you may want to add a bit of sugar.

Anyway, toss it all together and let it sit to "moogle" for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Another favorite is a Marinated Mushroom Salad. Make these in the morning, so they can chill in the fridge all day and let the flavors "moogle".

Mince a small onion and several cloves of garlic. Saute them in a couple of T of olive oil until they soften and the room smells wonderfully of garlic & onion. Then sizzle a half a cup of white wine (not sweet) for half a minute or so and add a T of tomato paste, 1/2 c of water (or, if you've got some really, really good garden tomatoes, sub a small minced tomato sans seeds and reduce the water to 1/4 c), a pinch of ground cloves or nutmeg, and if you're feeling wealthy, a pinch of saffron strands. Cover, and simmer the mixture for half an hour or so. If the mixture gets too dry, you can add a bit more water, but what you're shooting for is a pasty sort of sauce, and remember that the mushrooms will add water when you cook them.

Clean, trim & dry about 1/2 pound of button mushrooms. I like to use bite sized. Add these to the sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes, until cooked through. Remember though, that the residual heat will keep cooking them once you take them off the stove, and you don't want them squishy. Salt & Pepper the sauce to taste, cool to room temp and put into the fridge. Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, or other fairly mild herb like chives, marjoram or tarragon.

New Potato, Chicken & Apple Salad

Use leftover chicken or broil/roast chicken parts in the a.m. before it's too hot (I've even used the precooked chicken strips from the market...don't tell anyone). You want about equal parts of chicken & potatoes. I generally make this salad when I have leftover pan roasted new potatoes from the night before, but otherwise I make them (like the chicken) in the a.m.

Melt 4 T of butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over a med-high heat & add 1-2 lbs small red potatoes, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover the pot and shake it around so the potatoes are coated with butter, and reduce the heat. Simmer the potatoes for about 20 minutes (depending on their size), then let them sit off the heat, still covered for another 5 minutes. This sort of "sets" them somehow. If you aren't sure after the 20 minutes, test one with a trussing skewer or other very thin, piercing instrument. They should be easy to pierce through, but not quite ready to eat, as they'll still cook more.

Toss the potatoes with 2 or 3 T of minced fresh herbs of your choice. I like chives & marjoram with a tiny bit of rosemary.

Chop a large, crisp apple into thick matchsticks and put into a bowl of salted water to prevent browning.

Now, cut the cooled potatoes into halves if they're small, quarters if they're larger, and chop the chicken meat into pieces slightly smaller than the potatoes.

Toss the potatoes, chicken & apples with your favorite creamy dressing, and garnish with your choice of chopped green onions, toasted, coarsely chopped cashews, chopped dried fruit of some kind or shelled pistachios.

**This salad is also very good with leftover pork loin roast substituted for the chicken**

My favorite dressing for this is a sort of variation on Thousand I guess, that my mother used to make:

Mom's Dressing
2 c mayo
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c Worcestershire
1 T grated garlic
2 t lemon juice
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t powdered onion
1 T honey
1 t each dried savory, parsley, & basil

Mix all ingredients well. It should sit for at least a couple of hours in the fridge so the garlic won't be "hot" and the flavors of the dried herbs can develop, but if it can sit for longer, like all day, it's better.

Lentil & Orzo Salad with fresh herbs

1 c lentils (French green, "lentilles du Puy")
1 ½ c Orzo pasta
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow (crookneck) squash
4-half inch slices of butternut squashÂfrom stem end, 3-4" across, rind removed.
½ c frozen peas
1 pickling cuke, skin striped lengthwise with zester
½ red or yellow bell pepper
1 stalk celery
4 green onions, white part removed
1 c small mushrooms, finely sliced
1 ½ T lemon or lime thyme
2 T basil
2 T parsley
1 T marjoram
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed.

Dressing:

One preserved Meyer lemon, rinsed of excess salt*
2 T sugar
½ c extra virgin olive oil
½ c rice wine vinegar
½ t white pepper, or more to taste
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Boil lentils and orzo, separately and carefully so as not to overcook either one. They should be cooked through, but still firm.

Slice zucchini & yellow squash in half, lengthwise and brush them and butternut squash slices with olive oil. Heat the barbecue to hot so as to get grill marks on the vegetables without overcooking themÂthey should retain a bit of crispness when they cool. The butternut will take longer than the Summer squashes, but care must be taken to not let it get mushy as it goes from done to mushy in the blink of an eye.

Dice all the vegetables as evenly as possible to about a half inch dice. Finely slice the green onions. If the mushrooms are too big, half them before slicing.

Mince all the herbs and combine them with the lentils, orzo & vegetables in a bowl large enough to allow for tossing.

Mince the preserved lemon and put in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, sugar, rice wine vinegar and white pepper. Very finely grate the garlic into the bowl. Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing emulsified. Toss the dressing with the salad before adding salt to taste as the lemons are salty. This salad is best if allowed to sit at least a half an hour in the refrigerator before serving, for the flavors to "moogle."

I like this salad to be as colorful as possible, so if I use a regular red tomato, IÂll use yellow bell peppers. However, as I have an abundance of yellow tomatoes in my yard this summer, I made it with those and used red bell pepper instead. Likewise, if you donÂt care for, or canÂt get butternut squash, substitute something orange, like carrot or yam.

*If you don't have access to preserved Meyers, you can substitute regular preserved lemons, adding about 1/4 t frozen orange juice concentrate. Or, If preserved lemons are not available, substitute the juice and zest of one lemon plus 1/4 t frozen orange juice concentrate.

Spinach Salad w/ warm bacon-orange dressing.

1 ½-2 T bacon fat
1 ½-2 T chopped, crispy bacon
Juice of one large, juicy orange
3 T chopped pecans
Black pepper
½ t cornstarch dissolved in 1 t water
one large bunch spinach, stems trimmed off or two good sized handfuls of baby spinach.
2 T dried cranberries
A sprinkling of Thai fried onions*
One small orange-rind cut off, sliced crosswise into rounds, and then sliced into quarters.

Heat bacon fat & toast the chopped pecans in it. Add the bacon and pepper, then the orange juice and simmer for a minute or two while you mix the cornstarch and water. Thicken the dressing with the cornstarch, simmer another minute or two and take off heat.

The dressing should be warm, but not hot when you toss the spinach in it. Start with half the dressing, toss well, and taste a leaf, adding more to tasteÂdo not overdress because the fruit and onions will add more flavor and you donÂt want to overwhelm the spinach. Place the dressed spinach on plates, and top with the oranges, cranberries & crispy onions.

*Thai fried onions are available in Asian markets and have a more intense onion flavor and lighter texture than the fried onions people top the ubiquitous green bean casserole seen so often on Thanksgiving tables. Here is a link to a company that sells them on line:

A couple of our favorites....

I'm making a couple of gallons of this tomorrow for a Chamber of Commerce bbq:

'Mediterranean' Pasta Salad
-Any bite-size pasta, cooked al dente and chilled.
-Cook with pasta the last two minutes: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and/or green beans...etc.
-Chill and add celery,snap peas, radish, onion, olives...whatever you like.
-Optional: Meat and cheese - diced cheese, salami, ham, grilled chicken...etc.
-Dress liberally with 1/2 French and 1/2 Italian dressing (discovered when I was dressing a pasta salad with French and ran out...the Italian cuts the sweet of the French and the French cuts the bite of the Italian).

Margarita Chicken Taco Salad

-Marinate chicken breasts in margarita mix (we like Cuervo) seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic, s&p and grill, or if the weather's bad, season breasts and braise in marg mix.
-Tortilla bowls: Spray some pam on a glass or metal mixing bowl and drape a large flour tortilla over. Bake at 350F 10 minutes, or until it's a little brown.
-I usually make a taco salad bar and let everyone build their own- shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, peppers, black beans, corn relish, salsas, sour cream, guacamole....whatever.

Now I can't wait for warm weather. We're still in hot food mode.

Thanks for the reminder of Israeli Salad, rachelellen! I just made up a bowl using your recipe and fresh mint - delicious!

Teresa

This is my absolute favorite, and my apologies to those who have seen it before. I simply cook orzo, rinse it in cold water, drain and pour Paul Newman Balsamic vinegar dressing on it. Additions include mixed olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, artichoke hearts, yellow pepper and feta cheese.

Jo

Linda, that corn/bean/mango salad looks good, I've definitely got to try that.

I don't care for green leafy salads at all, but I'd like the orzo or tabbouleh ones and I definitely have to try that lentil salad.

So, my favorite salad. I don't have one. I've been really "eh" about any salad I've ever tried, including potato and pasta.

Annie

I'm going to second Jo's Orzo pasta salad. I love it and it had become my "go to" summer pasta salad. Easy peasy and the yummiest! Is "yummiest" a word, lol!
:)

Lately I've been making a salad with sugar snap peas, radishes, arugala, feta, and dill or mint, all in a lemon juice vinaigrette. So refreshing for a hot summer day!

Greek Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Salad:
4 oz. baby spinach
4 oz. spring lettuce mix
1/2 cup kalamatra olives, sliced
4 lg. sundried tomatoes cut into matchsticks
2 oz. of smoked roasted peppers, drained, rinsed and patted dry
2-3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Place greens in bowl and mix. Top with tomatoes, peppers, olives then feta.

Dressing:
Juice of one lemon
Zest from half a lemon
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbs. honey
1 tbs. minced red onion
1 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small blender and puree until smooth.

Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Add additional dressing to taste and toss again. Serve.

We eat a lot of plain ole' Three Bean Salad which is chilled and easy going down.

Oooh, this time of year, lets not forget fruit salads! One of my favorites is a big bowl of mixed fruits, sometimes with some added veggies like jicama, cukes, radishes or avocado, simply dressed with a little lemon, honey and a sprinkling of shredded coconut or hot chili powder. Or, diced fruits and minced mint with plain yogurt and maybe a bit of cumin and a bit of minced serrano chili for a raita.

Here's a Spanish salad I learned to make in Mallorca. It's a favourite for a hot summer day.

GARBANZO SALAD

3 medium potatoes diced
handful of green beans, trimmed and halved
1 - 15oz jar garbanzos (chickpeas) in liquid
3 hardcooked eggs, quartered
1 tin white tuna, drained and flaked
1 small red onion sliced into semicircles
2 cups mixed baby salad greens
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, peeled into stripes, cut to bit-sized chunks
2 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
flatleaf parsley, chopped and more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teasp seasalt
1/4 cup olive oil
fresh ground black pepper

1. Steam diced potatoes together with green beans until tender but not over-cooked

2. Drain garbanzos and reserve liquid

3. Combine tuna, greens, onion, potato, beans, cucumber, red pepper, garbanzos, (optional carrot) and eggs in salad bowl.

4. In mortar, grind salt together with chopped parsley and garlic. Add olive oil and half the liquid from the jar of garbanzos, stir with spoon until well mixed. Spoon mixture over the salad. Grind the pepper over all and gently turn the mixture with two large spoons. If it looks dry, add the rest of the garbanzo liquid. The eggs will break up and mix with the rest of the salad.

5. Arrange tomato wedges on top of the salad, and garnish with a few more pieces of parsley.

SharonCb

Made this today for lunch and it was very good. A little crusty bread on the side rounded it out nicely.

Fennel and Olive Salad---Insalata di Finocchio Ed Olive
Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.

.Prep Time:--Inactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:--Level:
--Serves:
6 servings. Ingredients
1 bulb fennel, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 Gaeta olives, pitted
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt and pepper
Directions
In a large, non-reactive bowl, combine the fennel, olives and parsley. Toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salad caprese is my DH's favorite. He would live on it everyday if heirloom tomatoes grew year-round!

Fresh mozzarella, the type packed in water, very perishable. Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes.

Every year I make pesto and freeze it. A little pesto, a healthy dollop of EVOO, and some lemon pepper, drizzled on top. Simple, easy, and healthy.

Oh yes, fruit salads are definitely to be included! I am really trying to eat more fruit!

Here is a good one I came across not too long ago. It's a little putzy removing the membranes of the fruit but very tasty!

Cardamom Citrus Fruit Salad

1 large ruby pink grapefruit
3 oranges (navel, blood, mandarin or a combination)
1/4 c honey
2 T fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Peel the fruit and cut away the membranes from the individual segments with a sharp knife. Place peeled segments in a large bowl.

Drain off any excess juice from the fruit into a saucepan. Add the lime juice, honey and cardamom. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes then remove from heat and cool to room temp.

Pour over the fruit mixture and gently fold to coat fruit. Chill 15 minutes. Serves 4

Linda

Sharon I think I want to make your salad for a picnic or dinner this weekend. What do you serve WITH it? It seems to have everything but the kitchen sink, lol! I'm thinking maybe crackers with blue cheese spread or olive tapanade, maybe a fruit smoothie.

Mmmm. I love cardamom. I'll have to remember that citrus salad this Winter when I'm pining for fruit but getting a bit tired of apples and citrus.

I love caprese salad as well...what's not to love as long as the tomatoes are good! I make a variation on that, using my yogurt cheese instead of mozzarella, and drizzling a bit of the herb-laced olive oil from the yogurt cheese jar on the tomatoes.

I'm including the recipe for yogurt in case anyone wants to make their own and doesn't have the recipe, though I know many people in this forum already do. I don't make it scientifically, that's not my style, but I know others do and I'm sure a more detailed, definite recipe could be easily searched up.

Yogurt

Heat 1 quart of milk to the boiling point for just 1 minute. Cool to 115 degrees (lukewarm to the touch). Pour into a heavy ceramic bowl. Mix in 2 T of fresh, plain yogurt (must have active cultures). Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. An oven with a pilot light is good, I use a goose-neck desk lamp bent low over the bowl. I know some people who use a heating pad set on low under the bowl. According to the recipe, 110 is the ideal temperature, but remember that people have been making yogurt for thousands of years without benefit of thermometers.

The yogurt should be ready in about 8 hours. Tilt the bowl to see if it holds together. If it's still pretty runny, leave it for another couple of hours and see if it gets better. The time can vary.

Line a colander with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Pour the yogurt into the colander and allow it to drain for at least an hour. Refrigerate.

Note: It does not help speed or improve the process to add extra yogurt starterin fact, it can make for a lower quality product.

You can make yogurt with 2 % milk if you like, but it takes longer and you need to strain it more.

Yogurt Cheese in Olive Oil

Pour home made yogurt into a sieve lined with a thin cloth, such as a dish towel or muslin. Fold the ends of the cloth over the top of the yogurt, top with a plate big enough to mostly cover the yogurt but small enough that it wont get hung up on the sides of the strainer as the yogurt gets pressed down. Weigh the plate down with a large jar or lidded tupperware bowl full of water and set the sieve over a bowl to drain. Be sure and empty the bowl from time to time so that the yogurt isnt sitting in its own whey.

I generally do this overnight, but times can vary depending on the weight etc.

You want a product about the texture of cream cheese.

Form the yogurt cheese into balls about 1 " in size, rolling them in your hands. (It helps to lightly oil your hands)

Pack the balls into sterilized jars with an herb mix sprinkled over each layer. Fill the jar with extra virgin olive oil. Store for at least 2 days to moogle the flavors, and up to about 3 weeks in the fridge.

For the herb mix, I usually use dried red chilli pepper flakes, fresh rosemary & oregano (minced), fresh garlic sliced paper thin and salt. Then I add other things to suit my fancy. Herbs, minced onions, spices etc. Get playful. I dont know how to measure amounts, but remember that only a bit of the flavored oil will make it onto the cracker or bread with the cheese, so you almost cant put too much "stuff" in the oil.

The "cheese" balls should be served with their spiced oil.