Summer Salads

This has been a week of salad experimentation. Salads are such a summer staple. But I tire of the same old mix. I have been thinking of having a "summer salad night" for a while. Seeing as how summer is now half over, it might be a good idea to start. As I was planning, I realized that I don't have a whole lot of salad recipes. Hence the week of test trials.

First up: a grilled chicken salad.

I really liked this. It was filling but still light. All the flavors blended really well...sweet and savory. The kids ate it because of the grapes. The Mr. ate it, but I could tell, he thought it was a bit girly on the food scale. I can see his point. So if you have a man that turns his nose up to that sort of thing, I would suggest leaving a piece of the grilled chicken out of the salad.

It looked so pretty when served. It was a lighter meal so I added sides: left-over German potatoes, some fresh tomatoes, and whole wheat Shiner bread.

Next up: black bean and corn salad.

This was my favorite. It was so good. I tweaked the recipe a bit. I added some diced red pepper and used a bit more vinegar. I could make a meal on this alone. In fact, I plan on making it again this week. So very tasty. This would be a great accompaniment to all sorts of meals. You could serve it with Mexican food, but it would also pair well with grilled chicken or flank steak or even fish. I love versatility.

Last up: wheat berry salad
with goat cheese.

I was really excited to try this recipe. It has goat cheese. Need I say more? But of all the salads I tried this week, this was my least favorite. It wasn't bad...but it wasn't really good either. I even gave it a go for lunch the next day. Nope. Still not great. It has potential. I think it just needs to be reworked. I would keep many of the core ingredients, but would ax the arugula and parsley. I would also change the dressing.

I am interested in salad recipes. What is your favorite salad? When I say "salad", what comes to mind? And if anyone is interested in starting a "summer salad night" with me I would love the company.

**All recipes are linked in the post found here.**