From Linda Larsen,
Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

During these warm and sultry days of summer, our appetites decrease and it's more important than ever to meet your daily nutrition requirements.

Salad recipes are an easy way to combine grains, fruits, vegetables and meats in one dish, with perhaps some whole grain rolls or breadsticks on the side, plus some cool sparkling water or a light wine. And I find that even on very hot days, it's nice to serve something hot for dinner, especially when you're entertaining.

These salad recipes are divided into two sections: hot and cold. The hot salads have some portions cooked on the grill or under the broiler. The combination of smoky, hot foods with cool salad ingredients is very delicious. Summer salad recipes are foolproof. Enjoy!

Hot Summer Salads

• Grilled Shrimp Salad
  Use your George Foreman grill to make this delicious salad that's packed full of flavor.
• Grilled Honey Mustard Turkey Salad
  Bring out your dual contact grill again for this fabulous salad, or simply cook the turkey slices on your outdoor grill.
• Grilled Seafood Salad
  Fennel, shrimp, and swordfish are grilled and tossed with tender lettuce leaves and a honey dijon mustard salad dressing in this spectacular salad.
• Warm Beet Salad
  This hearty salad is a wonderful vegetarian treat. The caramelized vegetables add great flavor and texture so you won't miss the meat.
• Meat and Potatoes Salad
  Just five ingredients make this hearty salad super easy too.
• Asian Pork Salad
  Pork, pasta, and sugar snap peas combine to make this salad full of flavors from the East.
• Grilled Garlic Steak Salad
  Garlic, steak, a grill, and lots of vegetables. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a great salad to me!
• Grilled Sirloin Steak and Corn Salad
  This fabulous salad, with no greens, combines grilled juicy steak with sweet corn and peppers in a creamy sauce. Wow.
• Italian Chicken Salad
  Italian salad dressing is the marinade for tender and juicy chicken in this easy main dish salad.
• Mustard Grilled Salmon Salad
  I love using No Name Salmon Filets in this easy recipe; the flavor and texture is just perfect.
• Caribbean Chicken Salad
  Strawberries, mangoes, kiwi, and chicken grilled with blackened seasonings all top mixed salad greens in this delicious salad.
• Grilled Ham Salad
  A ham steak is grilled with peach preserves then served with honey mustard salad dressing on mixed greens. Yum.

Cold Summer Salads

• Bean and Pasta Salad
  Just five ingredients make a delicious and hearty vegetarian main dish salad.
• Vegetable Couscous Salad
  Couscous and garbanzo beans are natural partners, and when combined with lots of vegetables make a great light main dish salad.
• Blue Cheese Walnut Potato Salad
  This salad has the most fabulous taste and texture. The crunch of walnuts compliments the creamy and crisp potatoes, and the blue cheese adds the perfect amount of zing.
• Rio Grande Turkey Salad
  Ziti pasta, smoked turkey, olives, and cilantro make a wonderfully complex salad perfect to make ahead.
• Cabbage Tortellini Salad
  This is one of my all time favorites; crunchy cabbage, tender cheesy tortellini, and lots of fresh vegetables make this salad a real winner.
• Beef Spinach Salad
  Deli roast beef is mixed with tender baby spinach and a tart grapefruit dressing in this refreshing salad.
• Fruit and Cheese Salad
  Lots of the best summer fruits along with cheese and a honey orange salad dressing make this salad one of my favorites.
• Ham Melon Salad
  Pasta mixes with juicy cubed ham and tender and sweet melons in this salad that is a fantastic combination of salty and sweet.
• Shrimp and Rice Salad
  This is the salad I make when I want to treat myself. Top it with some fresh avocado for even more wonderful flavors and textures.
• Strawberry Shimp and Melon Salad
  Well, gee, what else do I have to say? The title says it all!
• Wheat Berry Tabbouleh
  You could easily add some chopped cooked chicken, sliced leftover steak, or grilled shrimp to this salad, but it's also a great vegetarian choice on its own.

This is the perfect meal for a house full of company. You can just make a selection of cold salads and leave them in the fridge for guests to help themselves. Or marinate meat in the refrigerator all day, grill it with some veggies, then toss with lettuce and a purchased dressing for a delicious, elegant recipe for dinner that takes just minutes.

I love to make cold salads in the late evening when the day is cooler. Then dinner is ready for the next day! If you have a favorite salad dressing, either purchased or homemade, use it in combination with these recipes. Try different grains, like couscous, basmati or wild rice, barley, cracked wheat or wheat berries in place of pasta or plain rice.