Well, if you livedw ehre I do you would bet on a gazillion jello salads and some things like a can of mandarin oranges, a can or pineapple tidbits, mini marshmallows, cool whip and coconut...don't know what they call it.
I think roasted or grilled veggies sound great.
I often make grilled veggies and serve them at room temp with some blue cheese dressing to dab on the top.
If you are roasting, I would do chunks of zucchini, chunks of sweet onions, I think the Texas ones are coming in now, red and green peppers, quartered roma tomatoes, perhaps chunks of peeled sweet potato and maybe leeks?
And....Brussel sprouts....if you must!! LOL!
Linda C

I think you have a great idea..and if you include BSprouts..then people can spoon around them if they don't like them..or any other veg they don't like in your medley. I make a pasta salad..that doesn't contain mayo usually. It's got ground beef, beans, pasta, veggies and a french dressing and taco seasoning for the "Dressing".

The 24 Hour Layered salad is always good as is this Broccoli Salad:

Ingredients:

* 5 cups fresh broccoli florets
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
* 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
* 1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
* 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
* .
* Dressing:
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* 1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:
Combine broccoli florets, raisins, sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. In a separate bowl or large cup, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well; chill thoroughly before serving.
Broccoli salad serves 4 to 6.

Woodie's Layered Salad

DEEP DISH LAYERED SALAD
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 1/2 heads iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried and shredded
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Layer 1/2 of the lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl. Follow with a layer of celery, bell pepper, green onion, mushrooms, peas and egg. Top with remaining lettuce.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, brown sugar, garlic powder and curry powder. Spread evenly over top of salad. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 10 servings

Denise, I think a mediterranean salad would be a welcome addition. We had a potluck dinner party here from work on Tuesday night and we ended up with 5(!)salads as part of the meal. Believe me when I say that all were welcomed and the guests were happy.
The two favorites were a spinach salad with strawberries and mango and a slightly sweet dressing (I can ask for the recipe)
and a marinated veggie salad with artichoke hearts, pea pods, peppers and possibly tomatoes.
What about a tabbouleh or a couscous salad?

I think the roasted veggies sound great too. If you do want a salad, this one has been very popular with our team dinners.....

Frito Salad

Servings: 11

Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) package prewashed and cut lettuce
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey cheese blend
1 red onion, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package corn chips
1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, cheese, pinto beans, black beans, onion and tomatoes.
2. Add the corn chips and enough dressing to coat; toss and serve.

Thank you. These are great ideas, for Monday and for the future.

Here's another one.

Chicken-rice, and black-bean salad

1 cup brown (or white) rice
1 cooked chicken (about 2 ½ lbs.), shredded (about 4 cups)
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, sliced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno chili, minced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired)
¼ c white-wine vinegar
3 T olive oil
½ t ground cumin
salt and pepper

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. Spread on a baking sheet; refrigerate until cool.
2. Place cooled rice in a large bowl; add chicken, beans, tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, vinegar, oil, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate covered, up to 1 day.

Source: Everyday Food Magazine

Broccoli salad. One of the most popular things I ever serve.
If you want the recipe I can post if later.

I recommend this one. Copied and pasted from a previous post. It was a success at the party and very pretty:

Deborah_ps's recipe as posted:

Paella Salad

1 cup good olive oil
2 cups long grain rice
5 cups chicken stock
2 generous pinches saffron
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 pounds medium sized shrimp, cooked, peeled (Costco)
1/2 cup julienne slivers red pepper
1/2 cup julienne slivers green pepper
1 cup green peas (I use uncooked frozen)
1/2 cup halved black olives (a mix of Greek olives are good)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives or green onion

1. In large heavy bottomed pot with lid, heat 1/4 cup of the oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot add the rice and cook, stirring until it is opaque, 2-3 minutes. Add the stock, saffron, and 1/2 tsp. of the salt. Stir well to dissolve saffron and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook, covered, until all liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. (Try not to over cook.) When rice is cooked, remove and turn out into a large shallow bowl or pan and let cool to room temperature.

2. To assemble the salad, place the vinegar and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil. Add the shrimp, red and green peppers, peas and olives. Let marinate 10 minutes. Then add the rice, parsley and chives. Mix well.

3. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Since I've rarely met a recipe I didn't tweak I will confess to adding 2 cloves fresh minced garlic to the cooking rice. I also used red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers since Trader Joe had all 4 colors. They were very pretty with the saffron colored rice (I used Basmati). I used Kalamata olives which gave it a bit of flavor punch and whisked some fresh ground pepper into the red wine/olive oil mix.

I used Costco frozen peeled large shrimp. A note: I didn't read the bag, you aren't supposed to quick thaw under running water so remember to let them thaw overnight in the frig. They get soggy, ask me how I know...

This cabbage salad that Glenda posted is perfect for this time of year:

CRANBERRY COLESLAW
5 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper

Combine cabbage, almonds, cranberries, celery, green onions, and green pepper in a large bowl .

Combine all dressing ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour dressing over slaw just before serving. Stir well.

Here's a link to a nice antipasta-style salad I saw Guy Fieri make on the Food Network. I copied and pasted it into my recipe file and will use it when I have a group of big eaters to feed. It looks fantastic.

seagrass

Here is a link that might be useful: Italian Stallion Salad

Thanks everyone!

I made the roasted vegetables, (without brussel sprouts). I included red and green bell peppers, sweet onions, garlic, fingerling potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, eggplant and zucchini. Olive oil and salt. Was running out of time so got to use the seldom touched convection setting on my oven. I thought it turned out very well.

It was a fun night. There were quite a few Caesar type salads, a good spinach and raspberry one that I tried, no jello salads, no fruit salads, no broccoli salads, a few pasta salads, one potato salad.

I look forward to making some of the great ones suggested in this thread.