On summer days so hot it doesn’t cool down after sunset thanks to all the residual solar energy the earth eagerly soaked up all day long, I really don’t like to cook much. And I especially do not seek out a hot meal. In the winter, I purposely cook for the warmth from both the process of cooking and the food itself. But on hot days and nights, I tend to eschew hot food and embrace salads instead. Not all salads are created equal, and for many reasons. But specifically when it comes to preparation: some are low-cook, some are no-cook, some are fully cooked and then cooled, some even served warm. Choose a recipe that you can tolerate comfortably for the weather you are currently experiencing!

There are so many delicious salad recipes to choose from and so many different types of salads! If the word salad conjures an image of iceberg lettuce and a few dots of orange carrot, push that image as far from your mind as possible and peruse the list of loosely categorized recipe links below. The culinary universe of salads is vast, complex, full of flavor, and not to be ignored.

Vegetable Salads:
Thai Salad with Peanut Dressing
Meze Salad
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Kale Cranberry Salad
Lentil Salad with Radish
Mediterranean Salad with Blue Cheese
Kale Salad with Ginger Miso Dressing
Martha Stewart – Tomato-Beet Salad
Martha Stewart – Shaved-Squash Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini Blossoms, Ricotta, and Thyme Oil
Martha Stewart – Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Salad
Martha Stewart – Roasted Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese
Gimme Some Oven – Kale Caesar Salad
Taste of Home – Garden Chickpea Salad
Delicious Everyday – Roasted Moroccan Carrot Salad with Chickpeas
Cookin Canuck – Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Salad

Potato Salads:
Roasted Potato Salad with Lemon Pesto Vinaigrette
German New Potato Salad
Potato and Chickpea Salad
Red, White and Blue Potato Salad
New Potato and Green Bean Salad
Orange Chipotle Dressing with Sweet Potato Salad
Martha Stewart – German Potato Salad
Martha Stewart – Spiced Potato Salad
Martha Stewart – Caesar Potato Salad
Martha Stewart – Warm Potato Salad with Goat Cheese
Martha Stewart – French Potato Salad
Martha Stewart – Sweet-Potato and Ginger Salad
Martha Stewart – Beet, Potato, and Walnut Salad

Fruit Salads:
Mango Bean Salad
Grilled Peach and Prosciutto Salad
Balsamic Peach Salad
Grilled Apricots with Honey and Chevre
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Coconut and Tangerine Salad
Mojito Watermelon Salad
Food & Wine – Melon, Berry and Feta Salad
Food & Wine – Grilled Peach, Onion and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Martha Stewart – Watermelon, Orange, and Feta Salad
Gimme Some Oven – Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
MyRecipes – Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, and Feta Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod – Quinoa Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Noodle, Grain, & Bread Salads:
Mixed Grain Salad
Quinoa Kale Salad with Corn
Portobello-Asiago Pasta Salad
Udon Noodle Salad with Pineapple
Fattoush
Food & Wine – Summer Farro Salad
Martha Stewart – Tomato Panzanella with Ricotta
Martha Stewart – New Greek Salad
Pinch of Yum – Green Goddess Quinoa Summer Salad
Gimme Some Oven – Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
MyRecipes – Quinoa, Corn, and Mint Salad
Taste of Home – Orzo Vegetable Salad
Food52 – Quinoa and Mango Salad with Lemony-Ginger Dressing
Half Baked Harvest – Everything But the Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod – Southwestern Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Salads with Meat:
Thai Roast Beef and Herb Salad
Cranberry Nectarine Chicken Salad
Prosciutto and Grilled Nectarine Salad
Nectarine Steak Salad
Smoked Turkey Pasta Salad
Ginger Tuna Salad
Salmon Nicoise Salad
Martha Stewart – Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Martha Stewart – Asparagus, Spinach, and Crisped-Prosciutto Salad
Gimme Some Oven – Grilled Pineapple, Chicken and Avocado Salad
MyRecipes – Grilled Portobello-Flank Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
MyRecipes – Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Summer Salad
MyRecipes – Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Did you find a new recipe for each and every day of summer? Good. Now head on down to the Co-op for some fresh, local ingredients to get you started on your next salad adventure!