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As warmer weather approaches, more and more friends are going to have barbecues to bring everyone together. Sitting poolside, listening to music, and having great food will abound. In the summer heat, eating heavy foods can make you feel lazy, sluggish, and unwell. If it’s a potluck you are heading to or if you are the host, here are some fun, light, and healthy summer salads to add to the table!
Watermelon Feta Salad
Add a nice Greek touch to a healthy and sweet salad with the watermelon feta salad. Making the watermelon feta salad is easy and takes only a small amount of time. After you chop up a sweet and juicy watermelon into cubes, throw it into a bowl, add feta cheese, mint, and red onions. Toss it in some olive oil and red wine vinegar, and you will have a sweet and cool salad that everyone will love.
The mixture of sweet with savory will have everyone gobbling this up and feeling fine in the summer heat as you float around in the pool or take a nap in the shade.
Green Papaya Salad
Another sweet and light alternative is a green papaya salad, and learning how to make papaya salad is easy. This dish comes from Thailand, and even though it is light and crisp, it is also filling, so it can also be eaten as a meal. This is a nice dish to fill you up without making you feel stuffed in the heat.
The salad throws together many flavors that are sweet and spicy, and it really gives your palate a satisfying workout. Most of the ingredients are ground together in a mortar and pestle and then all the flavors blend together perfectly to make a dish that everyone will be talking about for days!
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian pasta salads are served chilled and are packed with flavors that everyone will love. It’s a simple pasta (usually fusilli) that is tossed with cheese, grape tomatoes, black olives, and a light sprinkling of spices. Add an olive oil-based dressing with some vinegar, and you will have a tangy salad that is not overly filling.
Some people like to add onions, or maybe some chopped up pepperoni and pepperoncini, to add some savory flavors that will make you feel satisfied but not overstuffed.
Corn Salad
Corn on the cob is a BBQ staple, but not everyone likes their corn on the cob. Corn can get stuck in your teeth and it can make your hands messy. Just because you don’t like it on the cob doesn’t mean you can’t still eat grilled corn, because you can make it into a salad!
Cut the corn off the cob and throw it in a bowl with feta, walnuts, and shallots to make a crunchy, smokey, and savory salad. Add black beans and squeeze some limes over the top and you will have a salad that is the perfect BBQ side dish!
What are your favorite summer salads?
Thank you for reading!
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