A delicious meal of salad!

I enjoy having salads as a meal all year round but, I agree I enjoy them more during the warmer months.

I love spinach salads with garden tomatoes and mushrooms, if Im feeling all have the time to cut all kinds of things up I add in cucumbers and carrots and olives.

My favorite though have to be fruit salads--just about any fruit salads are yummy.

Ill stick around for what Im sure will be some great ideas!

Hey, that was quick, quinn! Thank you!

A question: Do you cook the mushrooms for your salad, or use raw button ones?

A can or two of black beans
A can or two of corn
A couple diced peppers--red, green or both.
Lots of celery
Do you have cauliflower handy? Add cauliflower.
What else is handy?
Can't forget onion.

To make a "meal" add some diced ham or cheese or turkey or chicken or all of the above.

The canned vegetables give enough moisture that a dressing isn't really vital. If you have calories to spare, add a bit of old fashioned Italian--or of something else.

The base of black beans and corn makes an attractive dish for a summer or winter buffet.

Enjoy.

My fave:

Cooked chicken
Celery - chopped
Red Grapes - sliced in half
Cooked Pasta - any bite-size type: shells, penne, bowtie, whatever
Walnuts - or any other type of nut you like
Mayonnaise - light or regular

I chop up everything into bite-size pieces and put a tablespoon of mayo in, then put a lid over the bowl and shake it all to mix well.

The grapes, chicken, nuts and celery tastes so good together. Mmm, I think I'll make that tonight coz then I can bring some with me for lunch tomorrow.

I like raw mushrooms in salads unless Im putting in some meat product that perhaps has been sauted in mushrooms, then there could be both.

OH! Forgot about celery, I adore celery.

I really would love to have lots of cheese too, unfortunately Im not able to all the time but, on occassion I get the yummy stuff.

As far as dressing goes, if Im watching the calories or the salad in question realy calls for a lighter dressing its certainly a nice simple italian. The rest of the time its a nice Peppercorn or other ranch for green leafy salads.

I like salad dressing on fruit salads (you know, mayo type) with a bit of fruit juice mixed into it, and those salads almost always call for walnuts and Im always tempted to put in colored marshmallows as well

Thank you Noddy, Heeven & quin!

All of your suggestions have gotten me thinking. (I'm trying to think of what the Oz version of black beans is, Noddy .... Are they sort of like baked beans, borlotti, chick peas ...?)
As I'm not really crazy about mayo (the bought variety, anyway) I'm trying to figure out an alternative. Maybe herby or spicy .... Any suggestions?

I like the idea of cold pasta in salad, too. Sounds good!

Grapes. Why haven't I ever thought of adding grapes to a salad? Think they'd go really well with almost any nuts. Yum!

The dressing doesn't have to be mayo, it can be anything light - it's just to bind some of the stuff together so it's not dry. I prefer mayo which is why I use that. The grapes are a delicious eye-opener in a salad. I was surprised by how much I liked them.

Msolga--

Black beans are round and black--slightly larger than a kernel of hybrid corn. I'm not an expert, but I think they are used a lot in Mexican and South American cooking.

What is borlotti? I've never heard of borlotti?

By the by, carrots are a colorful addition to Black Bean, Corn and Whatever Salad.

Msolga, black beans are also known as black turtle beans. The canned variety are great for salads. Just rinse off the goopy stuff from the can, and you are ready to go.

Ah, you learn something every day! I will now do a black bean search & then experiment. Thanks for elightening me!

Noddy

Borlotti beans (I hope my spelling is correct!) are Italian beans ... creamy colour with reddish/purplish "stripes". I'm sure you've come across them, called something else in the US.

Oh & I LOVE long strands of grated carrot in salad, too!

Heeven

I bought a big bunch of purple grapes on my way back from my moring walk today. Very nice specimens! Now I just have to restrain myself & not eat them before salad making time, tonight! Be strong, msolga, be strong!

cav

Any brilliant/easy cav creations incorporating black beans?