Best Summer Salads and Dressings. Delicious and different recipes to make the best of healthy, colourful summer produce!

Best Summer Salads and Dressings
With summer in full swing, I decided to put together a collection of our most popular, most tasty summer salads and dressings.
We primarily eat salads and grilled meat and fish during the summer season. Olivia once said, when she was very young, “Why do we eat pasta in winter and salad in summer?”
I guess I didn’t realize how much of a summer routine we got into each year!
Still, I do love a good side salad, or even a complete dinner salad any day of the week.
Best Summer Salads and Dressings, interesting additions.
Some of my favourite additions to my summer salads, are dried fruits like apricots, dried cranberries and raisins. Nuts and seed mixtures also make regular appearances in our salads.

Chop the apricots into small chunks.

Unsalted roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped are another favourite addition to many salads.
I particularly like roasted unsalted cashews, almonds or pecans. The crunch with the chewy dried fruits is very satisfying.
I also love small cubes of different cheeses in summer salads. Feta, parmesan, smoked cheddar and blue cheese are some of my most used.
So go ahead and try something different or just a new flavour combination for an old g=favourite. You’re sure to find some interesting and delicious ideas in this collection.
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Best Summer Salads and Dressings
Best Summer Salads and Dressings. Delicious and different recipes to make the best of healthy, colourful summer produce!
Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad Dressing. The easy way using a plain mayo base. Roasting the garlic brings out its natural sweetness and adds a more mellow garlic flavour for an exceptional caesar salad.
Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette - who says you need to include oil in every salad dressing? With all the bright, tangy flavour in this recipe, you'll never miss it.
Smoked Chicken Spinach Grilled Pineapple Pomegranate Salad - as flavourful as it is healthy.
Grilled Corn Salad with Apples, Lemon & Chives, a new summer staple side dish that's perfect for barbecues and picnics. Sweet corn will never be the same.
Radicchio Almond Caesar Salad - this amazing recipe ups the ante on traditional caesar salad with flavour elements that include the entire taste range from sweet to salty.
A versatile low fat, yogurt based version of this classic dip that easily transforms into a low fat dressing as well.
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese & Honey Dijon Dressing - with bacon & almonds is one of the most deliciously flavourful salads you will ever eat.
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette on Peach Bacon Salad - a vinaigrette recipe that goes particularly well with salads containing summer fruits and berries like peaches and plums or strawberries & raspberries.
This delicious version of tomato cucumber salad features the additional bright flavors of lime & mint plus the healthy addition of protein-rich chick peas.
Chicken Teriyaki Salad with Grilled Mango - as delicious as it is pretty on the plate, this healthy dinner salad is a complete meal in itself that's bursting with complementary flavours.
Turkey Waldorf Salad Sandwich Wraps - a post Thanksgiving sandwich will never be the same once you sample this delicious combination of flavours and textures.
Lemon Cucumber Couscous Salad. a quick & easy flavourful side dish or a light vegetarian lunch all on its own.3 cups cooked couscous
Tiger Shrimp and Glass Noodle Salad - In this recipe from Gordon Ramsay, made using a Philips Airfryer to cook tiger shrimp, a mixture of vegetables and fresh herbs adds bright color and fresh flavor to a main course salad. It’s worth seeking out piment d’Espelette for its complex flavor and subtle heat, but hot paprika can be substituted if you like. You can also substitute rice noodles for the glass noodles (also called cellophane noodles), which are available at most Asian markets.
A tasty side dish or light lunch all on it's own, this warm baby kale salad is quick, easy, delicious and practically foolproof to prepare.
Mexican Spiced Chicken and Lime Salsa Salad - the low fat, super flavourful salsa complements the seasoned chicken strips and also acts as a nutritious, delicious dressing for the salad.
Lemon Tzatziki Potato Salad. A fantastic side dish potato salad that uses low fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise for a tasty Greek inspired flavour twist.
With a low fat, yogurt based dressing this shrimp pasta salad makes a sensible addition to your summer BBQ table or as a side dish at any time of the year.
Curry Chicken Salad with apricots and walnuts. A bright, intensely flavourful twist on good old chicken salad! Delicious on sandwiches or as the star of a dinner salad.
BLT Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing and Garlic Herb Butter Croutons - This salad may have very few components but it very big on freshness and flavour. It has turned out to be an ongoing family favourite.
Homemade Bacon Ranch Salad Dressing - easy to make as a low fat dressing too, plus ideas for bacon Ranch Pasta Salad and Bacon Ranch Egg Salad.
Steak Bacon Walnut Blue Cheese Caesar Salad - a bold collision of flavours and textures in an outstanding dinner salad that's a complete meal in itself.
Homemade Italian Seasoning - a delicious multipurpose blend for salad dressing, roast chicken, veggie dips and so much more.
Lemon Herb Garden Salad featuring Lemon Honey Salad Dressing. A super simple and flavourful homemade salad dressing to compliment salad greens perfectly.
Eating healthy just can't possibly be more nutritious or delicious than this outstanding chicken taco salad.
Easy Honey Dijon Pasta Salad - a great lunch item, side dish, pot luck addition or picnic take along recipe.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad. A versatile healthy and very nutritious recipe that can be served hot as a side dish or cold as a terrific alternative to pasta salad.
Warm Grilled Potato Salad with Lemon and Oregano - A tasty, warm grilled potato salad with plenty of bright fresh flavours in the dressing and finished with some crumbled feta cheese.
Low Fat Taco Salad with Chunky Avocado Tomato Salsa - a lightened version of taco salad using a crisp baked tortilla bowl, lean seasoned beef and a delicious homemade salsa.
Tomato Olive Salad. A delightfully simple and delicious side dish idea or serve it on a bed of lettuce with a sprinkle of feta cheese for a satisfying lunch.
Low Fat Ranch Chicken Salad - uses everyday simple ingredients to create either a ranch dressing for chicken salad or a creamy dip for veggies, chips or crackers.
Spicy Orange Fennel Salad - a deliciously refreshing new take on coleslaw using thinly sliced fennel, a little spicy heat and sweet orange slices. A wonderful balance of flavours.
Mango Orange Dressing on Prosciutto Apple Salad. Using pureed fruit as the base makes for an incredibly delicious, no fat added salad dressing.
Penne Pasta Salad with Shrimp Chili & Lime. A deliciously simple pasta salad that's terrific to serve with cold cuts, grilled, chicken or fish, or as an ideal BBQ side dish.
Honey Dijon Chicken Salad with Brie, Pear and Walnuts. A bright fresh grilled chicken salad full of bright flavours and textures.
Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing - bursting with great fresh flavour, this tasty pasta salad can even be made fat free by using non-fat yogurt in the dressing!
Caesar Potato Salad - chunky red potatoes pieces get tossed in a homemade, garlic & parmesan loaded, caesar salad dressing along with plenty of crisp cooked bacon. This is a summer barbecue side dish you'll make time and again.
Puttanesca Pasta Salad - a simple and delicious pasta salad with the bright tomato flavour of a puttanesca sauce that can be served hot or cold.