Summer has always been the time for salads, with lots of fresh garden ingredients at their best this time of year. But in today’s culinary world, the definition of salad has expanded to mean almost any combination of ingredients that’s served cold. That’s good news if the temperatures are starting to soar where you live, because summer salad options are now limited only by your imagination or what you have in the fridge or garden.

Photo by Karina of
Karina’s Kitchen

Salads with Grains and Seeds
Grains like quinoa, farro, or grain products like couscous are a great ingredient for salad. Karina at Karina’s Kitchen says her Quinoa with Summer Vegetables (pictured) is a dish that can be eaten warm, but she prefers it served cold as a salad. For a different take on quinoa, Katarina at Daily Unadventures in Cooking suggests Red Quinoa Salad with Mango, Avocado, and Pecans. At Umami Girl, Farro Salad with Beets, Onion, and Feta keeps Carolyn going while she chases kids this summer. Couscous Salad with Herbs from The Perfect Pantry has a surprise ingredient of preserved lemon, which Lydia says could be replaced with capers. Wild rice is really a seed, and the Wild Rice Salad from Kitchen Parade is pretty with the addition of peas and red pepper.

Photo by Sue Bette of
Feel Good Eats

Salads with Fish or Chicken
Cold chicken or fish in a salad can turn it into a main meal, and the Fajita Salad at Gluten Free Mommy has chicken paired with avocado, red and green pepper, and cilantro. Salads with tomatoes are always a hit in the summer, and one of my personal favorites is Summer Tomato Salad with Avocado, Tuna, Cilantro and Lime. Another interesting salad that features tuna is the Green Bean and Tuna Salad (pictured) from Feel Good Eats, and I love the idea of radishes added to the mix in this one. The Lemon Chicken Salad from Whistlestop Cafe Cooking has capers and artichoke hearts which Sandy says make it a hit with people who don’t normally like chicken salad.

Salads with Pasta
If you’re looking for new ideas for pasta salad, Frantic Home Cook has assembled a collection of 50 Pasta Salads - Just in Time for Summer. A couple of the choices that really caught my eye were Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad from Becky’s Blog and the Spinach, Orzo, and Feta Salad from Une-Deux Senses. I also like the sound of the Vegetable Pasta Salad from Kath Eats Real Food and the Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Pasta Salad from What Geeks Eat.

Photo by Andrea Meyers of
Andrea’s Recipes

Salads with Fruit
I like the idea of fruit combined with savory ingredients in salad, and I was enchanted by the sound of the Summer Salad at Food Loves Writing which has greens, apples, blueberries, and just a touch of shaved white chocolate. Mansi at Fun & Food has a delightful looking Summer Salad with Poppyseed Dressing that combines grapes and craisins with feta and candied pecans. The Strawberry Spinach Salad with Avocado and Champagne Vinaigrette at Andrea’s Recipes (pictured) looks like it would be as nutritious as it is colorful.

Photo by Kay of
Kayotic Kitchen

Salads with Vegetables
There are endless varieties of summer vegetables that make great salad ingredients. It’s simple and classic, and I think the Shaved Cucumber Salad with Red Onion and Herbs from Eating SF looks elegant for a summer dinner. Another interesting idea with cucumbers is the Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad from 101 Cookbooks. The Insalata Surprise at Kayotic Kitchen (pictured) has roasted red pepper combined with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella for a new take on the traditional Caprese salad. Anne at Fab Frugal Food says you can use spinach or swiss chard for her Amazing Baconless Wilted Salad. The salad of Summer Lentils at A Veggie Venture has carrots, peppers, tomatoes, celery, and radishes for a salad that’s loaded with vitamins. I love summer squash, so the Summer Squash Salad at Simply Recipes looks perfect to me. Finally, the name says it all for the Essence of Summer Corn Salad at Cookbook Catchall.

Photo by Ilva Beretta of
Lucullian Delights

Salads with Potatoes
Potato salad is nothing new, but even in this most traditional of summer salads, there are new ideas. Seasoning the potatoes with crab boil seasonings was something I hadn’t heard of, and I loved the sound of Crab Boil Potato Salad at Bacon Concentrate. Another potato salad I found intriguing was the Wasabi Potato Salad from Wednesday Food Blogging, which is also vegan. Also unique is the Lentil and Potato Salad with Tomato and Oregano Dressing (pictured) from Lucullian Delights. Pille at Nami Nami has a Beetroot and Potato Salad that’s pretty and definitely a new twist on potato salad. Finally, the most unusual potato salad of all might be the “No Potato” Salad from Elana’s Pantry which uses cauliflower for a salad that’s also gluten-free.

Hopefully some of these salad ideas will help you expand your salad menus this summer. You can find lots more ideas for summer salads in the FoodieView recipe search engine.

Kalyn Denny also talks about food at Kalyn’s Kitchen, where she focuses on low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients.