Frugal Fridays: The Summer Salad Edition

As the weather warms up and summer approaches, I am gearing up with a list of "cool" meals to make and serve during those hot hot days.

Today I will share a few of our favorite salad recipes with you. These are hearty enough to serve as a main dish or you can pick several and have a salad buffet. These recipes all use mostly basic pantry ingredients and can utilize leftover fruits and veggies as well as already cooked meats, rice or pasta.

Salads are so wonderful in the summer. They're quick to prepare and you can make them ahead and have them in the refrigerator chilling until you're ready to pull them out and serve.

I usually serve these salads with homemade bread and some fruit.

Beef Pilaf Salad
This is our new favorite. Feel free to substitute the apples and veggies with something else that you have on hand or like better. I always add more rice to make it a bit heartier.

Salad Ingredients: Mix all in large salad bowl.
2 cups thinly sliced or chopped beef sirloin steak or leftover roast
1 (16 oz.) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 or 2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup canned garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Dressing ingredients: Mix in jar with tight-fitting lid; shake well and pour over salad ingredients. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dash of cayenne pepper

Baked Potato Salad

Slice, dice and toss together:
6-8 cups baked potatoes(cooled)
3 hard-boiled eggs(cooled)
3-4 strips cooked bacon
1/8 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped celery

Mix together in separate bowl:
3/4 cup mayo
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon dill weed
1 teaspoon salt
Pour over potatoes and mix well. Best if chilled before serving. Makes 6-8 large servings.


Tuna Pasta Salad
Cook a half box (or whole box depending on size of family) of pasta per package instructions and drain. Let cool. Drain a can of tuna or salmon. Even leftover cubed chicken can be used. Chop several different kinds of veggies (tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, cucumbers, etc.) and add to salad bowl with meat. Add some cheese chunks if you'd like. Stir in cooked pasta. Add several spoonfuls of mayonnaise and stir adding until creamy enough to suit you. Season as desired(garlic powder, onion, mustard, chopped pickles, salt, pepper,etc.) and chill before serving.

Need more frugal ideas? Visit Biblical Womanhood!