Salads

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Easiest recipe ever. In the hot weather of the summer time, I love having a bunch of recipes on deck to simply throw together. Plump, sweet strawberries and rich, creamy avocado are chopped up and dressed in a tangy dressing of lime juice, ginger, and honey for the simplest appetizer.

Honey Lime Summer Corn Salsa

Honey Lime Summer Corn Salsa

This is a bright and zesty recipe to enjoy some of summer's best produce!! It can be enjoyed with chips as a dip, or eaten as a summer salad. Golden brown kernels of corn come together with tomatoes, creamy avocado, red onion for bite, black beans, and tons of fresh cilantro in minutes, and are tossed with the most amazing Honey Lime Vinaigrette. This combo is seriously delicious - the combination of lime juice, earthy, warm cumin, honey, and extra virgin olive oil is the absolute perfect way to bind these ingredients together. The best part is that the flavor of the dip gets better as it sits - so it's great to have out during an event, or to make ahead for lunch! Let's get cookin! 

Mango Avocado Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Mango Avocado Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

I'm addicteddddd to the combo of sweet mango and creamy avocado!! Mangoes have been ridiculously cheap and available lately and it's been such a fun addition to my meals. This recipe is one of my favorite flavor combos! I love using avocados to sub for dressing or other fats. The mixture of ripe mango and avocado with the awesome texture of quinoa is so delicious. Use the base of this recipe as inspiration for other meals! I routinely mix mango, avo, and quinoa with all my salads, and top them with baked fish. Squeeze a whole bunch of lemon juice over top, or serve it with the lime vinaigrette I'm showing you today! :)

These flavors are vibrant. Tossing mango and avocado together brings out all the juiciness of the fruit, and the creamy avocado coats all the other ingredients. Adding in a bit of red onion for bite, cilantro for brightness, and tart cherry tomatoes (or try sweet strawberries!) makes this salad incredibly flavorful and hearty. This would be great with grilled chicken, fish, or even as a dip with chips :) This salad's so easy. Chop up all the ingredients and toss em together. Let's get cookin!

Citrus Beet Salad

Citrus Beet Salad

This month's @missbish #MISSDISH is the quickest salad ever and will turn even the most stubborn eater into a beet lover! Refreshing citrus (use oranges, mandarin oranges, blood oranges,or my favorite, Cara Cara oranges!), beets, and whatever you've got in the fridge! Never worked with beets before? No worries, use canned! Nowadays supermarkets also carry pre-roasted in the refrigerated section. I love them chopped up and tossed into my salads. 

There's no blueprint to this - use what you've got! This salad has a base of citrus and beets, and can be tossed with other root veggies like carrots, butternut squash, fennel, or even brussels! Throw in leftover feta or goat cheese and use your favorite dressing - a dash of balsamic vinegar, citrus vinaigrette, or even poppyseed dressing. I love to throw a few spoonfuls of quinoa in all my salads (Cook up a huge batch on Sunday night!) Beef up the salad by serving it all on a bed of greens. Avocado is obviously a perfect addition :) Let's get cookin!

Spring Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Spring Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

Pasta salad is perfect for Springtime! This recipe is an easy and delicious way to stretch out fresh seafood. Tender orzo pasta, roasted salmon, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and salty feta are tossed with a zesty citrus dressing for a beautifully hearty salad. There's something about the texture of orzo pasta that makes me crave it all the time! This Spring salad is great for emptying the fridge - don't have asparagus? Use peas, spinach, or beans! Sub shrimp for salmon or leftover chicken and feel free to use Parmesan instead of Feta :) If you're cutting carbs, toss all these ingredients with crispy Romaine or kale. 

Smashed Avocado Salad

Smashed Avocado Salad

This is my go-to. My Smashed Avocado Salad is the perfect base salad for any time of the day. Top it off with your favorite protein and you have a filling meal that's easy on the calories. Who would have thought that dressing-free salad could be so delicious? Smashed avocado, lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper are all you need to cut out those crazy calories that come from just a drizzle of bottled dressing. 

PMP Summer Salad (Grilled Peach, Melon & Prosciutto)

PMP Summer Salad (Grilled Peach, Melon & Prosciutto)

Prosciutto & melon is one of the most glorious classic flavor combinations ever. The perfect blend of sweet and salty, refreshing and savory…not to mention so easy to throw together. These little BFF’s are usually served as a delicate piece of prosciutto wrapped around a ripe piece of cantaloupe. This beautiful salad steps it up a bit without being super pretentious. Peppery arugula serves as the base, but you can totally use whatever greens you’ve got in the fridge. Grilling fruit is such a great way to elevate any dish. It brings out the natural sugars in the fruit and makes everything taste even more vibrant. A mix of sweet melon balls, creamy mozzarella, grilled peaches, thin, salty prosciutto, a bite from slivers of raw red onion, sea salt & a crack of black pepper make the most delicious summer salad. Let’s get cookin! 

Watermelon Feta Salad

Watermelon Feta Salad

I’ve teamed up with the ladies over at MISSBISH for their #MISSDISH series! I’ll be sharing delicious, easy, and healthy recipes on their blog every month :) With that said, it’s officially summer! It’s hella hot outside, and one of my favorite things to make on a hot day is a refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad! Don’t get it twisted, you don’t have to do the crazy grid presentation to enjoy this, but it’s a really fun option for entertaining. This recipe is super easy to throw together and is gorgeous when tossed together in a bowl. There’s something so refreshing about cold, ripe watermelon that’s sprinkled with just a touch of salt, mixed with salty feta, cool cucumber and melon, and creamy avocado. Thin slivers of red onion give the salad a little bite, and fresh mint brings the perfect brightness. A lil drizzle of good balsamic vinegar is all you need to bring it together. Simple, delicious, perfect for summer!

Elote Salad

Elote Salad

BBQ season is here! Warm weather, ice cold drinks, and tons of yummy dishes and sides. I love BBQs because they’re often potlucks, and you get to try out all kinds of new dishes and get inspired by others’ cooking! One of my favorite indulgences is Mexican Grilled Corn, or Elote. Elote is corn on the cob, often served with salt, chili powder, butter, cheese, lime juice, cilantro, cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. They’re so delicious and comforting. 


I was thinking about ways to make Elote for large groups of people, and realized it would be so easy to simply cut the kernels off the cob and cook the corn in the same way. The result is a vibrant, flavorful side dish that is fantastic for parties or regular ole weeknight dinners. One other perk that I love is that I always tend to get corn stuck in my teeth when I eat it off the cob - and this way, it’s a little easier to eat shovel into your mouth hahah :) 

Watermelon Radish Salad with Sesame Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

Watermelon Radish Salad with Sesame Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

How gorgeous is this salad?! I found that putting together this recipe was so therapeutic…almost like creating a piece of art. Not only are the colors stunning, but the flavor combinations in this salad are unreal as well. Beautiful curly tendrils of peppery arugula are tossed with bright, crisp slices of watermelon radish. Sweet Cara Cara orange supremes and the slight saltiness of crumbled feta are the perfect addition. Drizzle a little homemade Sesame Lime Ginger Vinaigrette and you have the most beautiful spring salad to celebrate upcoming Earth Day…or any day. This salad would be the perfect base of a grilled piece of fish or even with chicken..but for now, let’s just marvel at how simple this dish is…because the ingredients are so naturally beautiful, any way you toss them together, it looks like a gourmet meal. 
Watermelon radishes’ flesh is white closest to the exterior and becomes bright, with circular striations of pink and magenta toward the center. The flesh is tender crispy, succulent and firm. It has a mild, slightly peppery yet mostly sweet flavor. They come in a variety of sizes, from golf ball to soft ball size. They can be used fresh or cooked, and pair really well with fennel, apple, cheeses such as feta or chevre, white fish, vinaigrettes, citrus…the list goes on. They’re also wonderful when pickled! With that said, here is a recipe for a wonderfully simple salad that according to my taste-testing friend was like “an explosion of flavor in your mouth” :) Let’s get cookin!