Since my big boys are off at football camp this summer, I’ve been serving up some hearty salads for dinner. In my dream world, this is how I would eat all of the time: a big fresh salad as my main course and a cookie or dish of ice cream for dessert–or maybe both–it’s all about balance. Today, I’m sharing three of our favorite salads using seasonal ingredients that come together in minutes.
Peachy Prosciutto Salad
What You Need
- 2 peaches, sliced
- A couple of cups of arugula
- A few slices of prosciutto (we crisped ours up in the microwave)
- A handful of figs, halved
- 1 avocado chopped
- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds
- Fresh dill
- A few drizzles of olive oil, balsamic, and pinch of salt for dressing
What You Do
Combine all ingredients and top with olive oil, balsamic, and pinch of salt.
The Franklin Chopped Salad from A Life From Scratch
What You Need
- One bag organic chopped kale (I chopped it even more)
- 1 cup of almonds, ground up or chopped really fine
- Your choice of dressing, we used a lemon shallot dressing
- 1 chopped apple
- 2 mini cucs chopped
- Handful fresh basil minced
- 1 avocado chopped
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- Salt & pepper
What You Do
Get a big bowl out and massage your choice of dressing into the kale and almonds.
Add remaining ingredients and finish with salt and pepper. If you make this salad for dinner, leftovers make a great lunch. And one tip that Courtney who came up with this recipe always shares is to shred your rotisserie chicken when it’s warm–it’s so much easier.
Jennifer Aniston’s Salad (Allegedly)
There are some conflicting reports that this is the salad that Jennifer Aniston actually ate on the set of Friends for 10 years, but it’s still so good. It’s also great for leftovers and can last in your fridge for up to a week. If you make it for dinner, I add a chicken breast or a salmon filet and it’s more than filling.
What You Need
- 1 cup quinoa or bulgur wheat, uncooked
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- ½ cup mint, chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion, chopped
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 lemons, juiced (about 5-6 Tablespoons)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- Ground pepper, to taste
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
What You Do
- Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a small pot and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, red onion, pistachios, chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and feta.
- Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving.
- Store salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
xo,