Salads that Satisfy

Beef Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing (courtesy Soyfoods Assn of North America)

Salads can be so much more than a pile of tasteless lettuce and pale tomatoes. Check out these recipes for some salads that really satisfy.

Salads have been a part of meals for a long time. We’re talking ancient Romans and Greeks kind of long time. But they didn’t start out as leafy pre-meal obligations. The word “salad” derives from the word for salt. “Salata” referred to “the raw vegetables eaten in classical times with a dressing of oil, vinegar or salt.” If you’re a word/food nerd like me and want to read more about it, check out the nifty Food Timeline entry on salad.

Now that your brain is satisfied with salad knowledge, how about some salad recipes? You can find most of them here on Culinary.net.

Beef Salad with Ginger Soy Dressing (pictured above) – Take your grilled flat iron or flank steak, lay it lovingly on some baby salad greens, alongside carrots, cherry tomatoes and edamame, then drizzle a lovely Asian-inspired dressing on top. Great for a light supper, and an easy way to use up any leftover steak.

Greek Style Salad with Lemon Pepper Dressing

Greek Style Salad with Lemon Pepper Dressing – Not your typical pasta salad, this one dresses up orzo with some veggies, feta, black olives, pine nuts, and a zippy little lemon dressing. A cool salad for a hot summery day.

 Mango Caprese Salad – Here’s a lovely appetizer or side dish. And so so easy! Mangos, mozzarella, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. A little slicing, a little drizzling, and you’re done. If you’re not sure how to slice a mango, here’s a little how-to video:

Grilled Shrimp & Pasta Salad (courtesy Hidden Valley)

Grilled Shrimp & Pasta Salad – Feel like a little seafood? This recipe was cooked up by Chef Rick Bayless, so there’s a little bit of heat in there. All the vegetables are grilled along with the shrimp, so they’ll have some great flavor. It serves 6 – 8, so it would be great to bring to a party.

Charred BLT Salad (from BetsyLife.com)

Charred BLT Salad - I found this salad on the blog Betsy Life. (She adapted it from a Cooking Light recipe.) I’ve heard of grilled salads before, but haven’t tried one yet – have you? I think this one’s going on my to-cook list for the summer.

What kinds of salads are you making these days?