Some gardens are blooming, while some of us are just getting started. Either way, big, yummy salads are available! Share your salads here!

Red romaine
carrot
onion
orange slices
nut of choice (I went pecan today)

dressing:
1 T peanut butter
1 t soy sauce
1 t rice wine vinegar
bit of honey

That dressing looks yumm-O!!!

My current favorite:

Spinach (or other dark green)
Diced baked chicken
Grape tomatoes
Shredded carrot
Pepper chunks
Red onion
BBQ sauce
Diced avocado

Ack, Glory. I read that first as DRIED baked chicken.

Romaine or green leaf or spinach (have all 3 in my fridge right now)
diced avocado
black beans - warmed in micro
red pepper
little bit of sweet onion
tomato if I can find a decent one
lf sour cream
salsa

I assemble the lettuce and other veggies, top with the warmed black beans and then the sour cream and salsa. The warm beans help the sour cream to get runnier. Then I stir the whole thing and the warm sour cream/beans coat the greens. Yum. I eat this with a warm tortilla. You could make it into a wrap, but my attempts at rolling leave me with a mess, so I usually go with a bowl of salad and the tortilla on the side.

All these salads sound so good and yummmmmy! I must try them all.

Tonight I am making a taco salad to mimic what I used to (WAY back in the day) get at Taco Bell.

So, here's what's going in it:

Garden of Eatin' Black Bean and Corn Tortilla Chips (as a base)
Chopped Tomato
Chopped Onion
Guacamole
Fresh Salsa
"Refried" Beans (mashed up pintos with seasonings)
Sour Cream
Shredded Lettuce (I know I should use a darker green, but I'm going for nostalgia here! Haha)

I have lots of salads that I love.

Basic Main Dish Salad with Chicken
- 2 oz spinach
- 2 oz roasted fennel
- 3-4 roasted garlic cloves
- 1.5 oz roasted red onion
- 4 oz chicken, broiled and shredded
- 1 oz reduced fat cheese (used to be Trader Joe's light chevre but they don't make it any more, so I guess it will be light feta from now on)
- 2 oz fruit (figs or pink grapefruit are my favorites)
- dressing of 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp dijon mustard

Chinese Cabbage Salad
- 3-4 oz cabbage, shredded
- 4 oz chicken, broiled and shredded
- snow or snap peas, sliced thinly
- 3 oz tofu, water pressed out, fried in cooking spray, and diced
- 1/4 cup edamame
- 2 tbsp low cal Asian sesame dressing (I like Trader Joe's)

Yogurt Vegetable Salad
- 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup garbanzo beans
- 2 oz diced cucumber
- 1.5 oz halved cherry tomatoes (use roasted red pepper or sun-dried tomatoes if cherry tomatoes aren't available)
- 1 tbsp diced fresh mint or basil
- salt and pepper to taste
This is one serving and only 80 calories--it makes a great snack!

Beet and Chicken Salad
- 3 oz roasted beets, peeled and diced
- 4 oz chicken, broiled and shredded
- 1/2 oz light feta
- 2 oz celery (about 2 stalks)
- 2 oz cucumber
- 1 oz tangerine
- 1/2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 oz spinach
- Dressing of 2 tbsp non-fat yogurt, 1/2 oz light feta, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 clove of garlic, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper (or lemon pepper) pureed in a blender or food processor

spinich
heated balsamic dressing
dried cranberries
diced tomato
sprouts
sprinkle of feta cheese
black or green olives

heating the dressing in a saucepan and then tossing just the spinich with it "wilts" it slightly (the dressing cools quickly). i think it brings out more flavor and I've read that it makes it more easily digestible?

quick, easy, fast, oh yeah, it tastes good too

1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup mango salsa

heat beans and rice in the microwave, add salsa

I keep a batch of rice cooked up, beans from a can, and the salsa was leftover from another meal but I believe I will start keeping it on hand, at least during mango season.

Mango Salsa Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup) (See: How to Cut a Mango)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeņo chile, minced (include ribs and seeds for a hotter taste if desired)
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Also good with diced red bell pepper and jicama.
METHOD
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the salsa ends up being a little too hot or acidic for your taste, you can temper it by adding some diced avocado.

Sensation Salad!

This is pretty popular in restaurants in Louisiana (at least in the Baton Rouge area) and I'm surprised I don't see it other places! It's absolutely delicious.

Here's what's in it:
Romaine Lettuce
Slivered/Sliced Almonds
Sensation Dressing:
-Lemon Juice (1/2 a lemon appx.)
-Vinegar (I use white wine vinegar) (Maybe 1/2 tbsp?)
-Olive Oil (1/2 tbsp)
-Salt (optional)
-Grated Romano Cheese (about 1 tbsp)
-Pressed Garlic (2 or so cloves to taste)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

If you want to make it a meal, you can add some grilled chicken on top. It's also good with freshly diced tomatoes.

Lindsey, you're in Baton Rouge? I'm moving there very soon

My favorite salad as of now looks like this:
Green Things:
Lettuce
Celery
Cucumbers
Bell Peppers
Spinach

Pineapple chunks
Black chickpeas
Roast chicken (if I feel like it)

Dressing:
Yogurt, garlic and herbs (need to find out which ones)

it is sooo good. I had it yesterday, almost had it today and will eat it again tomorrow.

1 diced tomato (tomatoes on the vine are still safe )
1 cup chopped broccoli flowerets
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
1/4 cup crumbled garlic and herb feta cheese
1/2 cup garbanzos (chickpeas)
1 Tbsp olive oil

I make it up the night before so the flavors all mingle and the herbs in the feta infuse with the olive oil. The juice from the tomatoes mixed with the olive oil and cottage cheese sort of create their own "dressing" Quite the filling, yummy lunch.

If I'm feeling "southwesterny" I'll substitute black beans for the chickpeas and sprinkle with chili powder; and a couple of times a week I'll use a can of tuna (water packed of course ) and leave out the cottage cheese or the beans but I love this basic salad so much I have some variation of it almost every day.

The other thing I do pretty much every day is a mid morning snack of some sort of fruit medley with 1/4 cup of organic yogurt as "dressing" - today it was fresh pineapple with a diced nectarine and yesterday it was fresh strawberries with a diced pear.

One of my favorites:
salmon cooked with your favorite spices
mixed greens
strawberries
blueberries
lf cheese
sunflower seeds
vinigarette of choice

My hubby even loves this one

Lately my salads have had:
romaine, green leaf or spinach
diced peppers - red/orange/yellow
diced tomatoes
cucumber slices
flax seeds
a ff balsamic dressing

Now I want a big salad for breakfast!!

My fav salad recently is:

Baby spinach
Red onion, sliced
Feta, crumbled
Strawberries, sliced
Slivered almonds, toasted
Usually with a Newman's vinaigrette on it. Raspberry is great!

if i make my dressing i like to use raspberry wine vinegar or raspberry balsamic vinegar with a little oil, poppy seeds and sugar.