I know it can be hard to get excited about salads BUT take a look at those colorful, fresh ingredients and you won’t be able to contain yourself!
Now is the perfect time to get creative with spring salads. With fresh, local produce in abundance, one can’t help but to create one of the easiest dishes that exists- a healthy, satisfying, beautiful SALAD! Although these look elaborate, they were incredibly easy to prepare especially with a few short cuts made possible by our Redner’s produce teams!
Enjoy!
Meredith McGrath RD, LDN
#1: Mango Cobb Salad | #2: Sausage Antipasto Salad | #3: Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad |
#4: Cali-avocado steak salad | #5: Roasted Corn & Sausage Salad
#1 Mango Cobb Salad
Once you pick the perfect mangoes and avocado, you have officially completed the hardest task of this recipe! With prep time set at 10 minutes, this is an easy lunch or weekday dinner! And if you want to speed things up a bit more, (which I ALWAYS do), you can purchase pre-cooked bacon and hardboiled eggs! PS: don’t skip out on the pickled red onions. They were worth it!
Serves 12
Total Time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Ripe Mangos
- 3 cup Lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 Avocado, cut into strips
- 1/2 cup Feta, crumbled
- 1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 4 slice Cooked Bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 cup Pickled Red Onions
- 2 Soft Boiled Eggs
DIRECTIONS
Add lettuce to a large bowl and top with mango, avocado, feta, tomato, bacon and pickled red onion. Set aside. Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
https://www.mango.org/recipes/mango-cobb-salad/
#2 Sausage Antipasto Salad Recipe
Hillshire Farm Sausage is such an easy go to. It only takes a few minutes to fry in a pan and you do not need to add additional oil! The flavor is incredible so a moderate serving size is all that is needed here! The variety of texture and color in this salad is a definite masterpiece, so keep this in mind for an early spring gathering.
Serves 4
Total Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package Smoked Sausage
- 6 cups mixed salad greens
- 2 cups red or yellow grape tomatoes
- 1 tomato, cut into thin wedges
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup small cauliflower florets
- 3/4 cup pitted ripe black olives
- 2/3 cup Italian salad dressing
- 1 package (4 ounces) crumbled Feta cheese, about 1 cup
- 2 green onions, sliced
DIRECTIONS
Cut sausage into ½” slices. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Cook sausage 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned; remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Arrange salad greens on large platter. Place cooked sausage in center of platter in a row. Arrange tomatoes, cucumber, cauliflower and olives in rows on either side of the sausage. Pour salad dressing over vegetables and sausage. Sprinkle with feta cheese and green onions.
https://www.hillshirefarm.com/recipes/soups-and-salads/antipasto-salad/
#3 Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Nothing says SPRING salad like fresh strawberries! The bright red, juicy fruit paired with fragrant mint will get you excited for the warm days ahead. As for the chicken, that is just an everyday staple in our house. Whether we buy Redner’s chicken breast in the Pick 5 or grab a family pack, we never skip a week on this lean protein.
Serves 4-12
Total Time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz Little Leaf Farms Baby Red and Green Leaf Lettuce
- 1 cup strawberries, halved and stems removed
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced into half moons
- 3 tbsp mint leaves, torn
- 1 cup basil leaves, torn
- 2 8oz chicken breasts
- ¾ cup Ken’s Simply Balsamic Vinaigrette
DIRECTIONS
In a large resealable bag, add the chicken breasts and the balsamic vinaigrette. Seal and place in the refrigerator to marinade for at least an hour or as long as 24. When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill to medium-high heat or preheat your oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade. If grilling, place on the grill and cook on each side for 5-6 minutes. If baking, place on a parchment-lined baking dish and cook for 18-20 minutes. The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F. Once cooked, let cool. Thinly slice and set aside until you are ready to assemble the salad. Fill a large bowl with the Little Leaf Farms greens. Distribute the strawberries, onion, basil, and mint leaves on top. Top with the slices of grilled chicken and finish with the crumbled goat cheese. Drizzle Ken’s Simply Vinaigrette Balsamic on top and serve.
https://www.littleleaffarms.com/recipes/strawberry-goat-cheese-salad-with-balsamic-grilled-chicken/
#4 Cali-avocado steak salad
So this was the one…the “I couldn’t stop eating it” recipe. First of all, I am a sucker for top sirloin. I stick to the 3-4 ounces and season it well and I am a happy gal! But that wasn’t all that was on the grill. The avocados and Naan bread took this salad to a new level. I definitely wasn’t feeling deprived by “only eating a salad.” I did end up using a little of the honey mustard dressing (used above), so you can choose that or your own favorite dressing!
Serves 2
Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch (about 1/2 pound)
- 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 large navel orange
- 1 large Fresh California Avocado
- 2 loaves naan bread, (about 3 ounce each)
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
DIRECTIONS
Rub both sides of beef steak with 1 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cut bottom and top off orange. Remove remaining skin from orange; cut into segments; reserve. Cut avocado in half; remove pit, but do not peel. Squeeze juice from two cut ends of orange over cut sides of avocado, then brush with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining salt.
Brush both sides of naan bread with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Place steak on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, covered, 11 to 15 minutes (over medium heat on preheated gas grill, covered, 13 to 16 minutes) for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning occasionally. During last 2 to 3 minutes of grilling, place avocado, cut side down, and naan bread on grill; turn bread once. Meanwhile, toss salad greens with remaining olive oil and pepper. Add orange segments to salad. Remove skin from grilled avocado. Cut avocado into slices; add to salad and toss gently. Carve steak into thin slices; place on top of salad. Cut naan into wedges; arrange around salad.
https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/recipe/5769/cali-avocado-steak-salad
#5 Roasted Corn & Sausage Salad
This one was fun. I struggled to find a “creamy salsa dressing” but found this sauce in the Mexican food aisle and it was a perfect fit! The bagged sweet mini peppers are amazing and very affordable so check them out! And always keep in mind multi-use items to avoid food waste. Think of other ways you will use the bag of spinach: morning omelets, soups, homemade dips and as for that cilantro, grab a few more avocados and make your own guac!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package of your favorite al fresco Fully Cooked Chicken Sausage
- 1 can Corn, drained
- 7-8 mini colorful Sweet Peppers, chopped
- 1 Cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 Red Onion, sliced
- 1 cup fresh Spinach
- 1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Creamy Salsa dressing
- Handful Cilantro, chopped
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a nonstick skillet add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on high. Slice al fresco Sausage and add to pan to brown and remove from pan. Drain corn and remove all liquid. Add corn to pan and allow it to char, turning occasionally. Chop peppers, red onion, tomatoes and cilantro. In a bowl add on charred corn, cooked sausage, peppers, red onion, tomatoes cilantro and fresh spinach. Drizzle ¼ cup of creamy salsa dressing and mix. Serve and enjoy!
https://www.alfrescochicken.com/recipes/roasted-corn-sausage-salad/