8 Healthy Salads to Savor this Summer

With my upcoming trip to Paris this week (!!!), I’ve been nonstop daydreaming about croissants and macarons. I do not plan on holding back whatsoever while I’m over there as far as the food is concerned. Which means… Salads are in my not-so-distant future. I’ll be dreaming of the croissants for now and I’ll pin these recipes for the future.

8 Healthy Salads to Savor this Summer

Guest post by Louisa from Living Lou

I have been on a serious salad kick for the past couple of weeks! My life has been insane, to put it mildly, between working and blogging and just living a life in general, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. But, there is always time to throw together a quick salad for dinner or lunch.

Plus, is it just me, or do you always feel better about yourself after eating a salad?

Here’s the thing, if you’re eating the same salad Every. Single. Day. you are going to get bored. I guarantee it, but with these eight salad recipes, you definitely won’t get bored.

1. Chopped Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Blue cheese dressing is one of my favorites, but the creamy kind you get at the grocery store is not very good for you. I took all the flavors of my favorite blue cheese dressing and turned it into a light vinaigrette! With radicchio, cucumber, and romaine this simple salad is a show stopper.

2. Strawberry Spinach Salad with Light Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy seed dressing is one of those retro salads that I absolutely love. I literally just posted this recipe, and I added fresh herbs (I chose thyme) for a bit of a more modern spin.

3. Coleslaw with Italian Dressing

Here’s a lifehack: coleslaw tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. It allows the flavors to really develop—AKA, if you’re into meal prepping, coleslaw is the way to go. I went with an Italian-style dressing for this one, which is loaded with flavor.

4. Classic Potato Salad

This potato salad is loaded with basically everything you could ever dream of. It’s a creamy potato salad with egg, celery, pickles and even hot peppers. This is the ultimate barbecue side dish.

5. Summer Quinoa Salad

Everyone needs a good quinoa salad in their back pocket, and this recipe is my go-to. It’s loaded with fresh herbs, and veggies you already have in your fridge (cucumber, tomato and red peppers).

6. Grilled Zucchini Salad

If you have access to a grill or a grill pan, this salad will blow your mind! The combination of buttery white beans, zucchini and basil is the ultimate summer dish. I make this weekly in August!

7. Charred Corn and Farro Salad

We already know how much I love farro, but the combination of sweet, charred corn with farro and fresh basil is dreamy. I love the bring this for lunch in the summer and find that farro stands up really well to a few days in the fridge.

8. Herbed Tofu Dressing

Using soft tofu instead of mayonnaise is the smartest thing I have done in the kitchen in recent memory. I learned this trick when I was working in a test kitchen at a magazine, and it has changed my life. Think of this herbed dressing as a healthier alternative to ranch!