Easy Peasy Summer Salad

A post on salads? Of course a post on salads!

I have been asked time, and time again for ideas on salad dressings, salad mixings and a salad base. 

One post to answer the call. 

Base:

For a base I turn to organic baby spinach or a kale mix. It’s clean, fresh, vitamin packed and no extra work! 

Toppings:

Hearty -  toasted walnuts, cashews or sliced almonds 

Sweet - raisins, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit

Spices - salt, pepper, or celery salt

Fresh Fruit - blueberries, strawberries, peaches, raspberries, apples, tangerines, pineapple, tomatoes, dragonfruit, kiwi or watermelon

Fresh veggies - avocados, cucumbers or beets

Carb - pasta or croutons 

Cheeses - parmesan, cheddar, asiago, feta or mozzarella pearls

Dressings:

Equal parts olive oil and flavored vinegar. This could be any type of flavored vinegar, for instance a balsamic vinegar. Often times vinegars are infused with different flavors. 

One of the dressings that has been a favorite is:

1/4 cup blueberry infused balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil 

2 tablespoons of shallots.

Mix them all together and drizzle over your salad.

These are all ideas to help you create your own concoction of a salad. 

For instance, you could pair kale, watermelon and feta with some toasted walnuts. Drizzle a Raspberry vinaigrette over the top.  The raspberry vinaigrette would be equal parts olive oil and a raspberry infused wine vinegar. 

Hera’s Pinch:

Make your salad dressing! It’s super easy and much more flavorful.

Below is a salad we made a few days back. 

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Kale Pasta Salad

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 MinTotal time: 11 Min

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Kale or Spinach
• 1/2 cup of Mini Bow Tie Pasta
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan
• 1/4 cup Toasted Walnuts
• 1/4 cup Blueberries
• 1/4 cup Croutons
• 2 tablespoons of Parmesan
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Raspberry Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Start with the base layer of Kale or Spinach.
2. Cook pasta as directed, it's usually 8-10 minutes but refers to packaging.
3. While you are waiting for the pasta to cook put walnuts into a pan and toast over medium-low heat, you will notice a nice nuttiness in the air. This is when you know they are ready to be taken off. Place walnuts on board and chop them up. Add walnut layer to the salad.
4. Add a blueberry layer, next croutons, and parmesan.
5. Whisk olive oil and raspberry vinegar and drizzle over salad.
6. A pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
7. ENJOY!!

Notes:

Homemade Croutons

Preheat oven to 375℉. 

Cut up bread pieces into cubes, 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices (uniform in size). Put an even layer of bread cubes onto a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper over the top. Mix them till evenly coated. Then even them out again on baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes till golden brown.