Do you have a go to salad?

I love Potlucks and Picnic Food...you just can't get this kind of food in a restaurant!

Growing up my parents would have family functions where we would have big potlucks and everyone would bring a dish.  However more and more when I go to events many people just stop at a deli and pick up a salad or they bring a bag of chips and luckily for me a lot of people still bake a lot of home-made goodies such as brownies and cookies however  I think some people get intimidated by salads even though are easy and economical and they are always a big hit.  I will share my three top salads I bring to party’s and potlucks below.   My philosophy is it has to be economical and it has to be easy to prepare.   I work for the school system as a Webmaster and the front line for trouble shooting computers it is always go, go, go…and I have a son who plays football and on top of all that I juggle all of my suburban homestead responsibilities so just like many of you I am super busy.  Here are three of my go to salads (they are pictured above)when I don’t know what to bring and I want to prepare something that is going to be just the thing…..or make all three!

Macaroni Salad

  • 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 C. sugar
  • 2  tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, and  macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.

Tuna Nicoise Pasta Salad

  • 1 pound farfalle
  • 6 oz. canned green beans
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 6-ounce cans tuna in water, drained
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes, halves
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 6 hardboiled eggs, quartered (optional) 
  1. While pasta and beans are cooking, combine olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together. Add tuna, tomatoes, olives, and parsley. Stir to combine.

    Last but not least here is the recipe I used for my Asian Coleslaw I got this recipe from Simply Recipes one of my favorite recipe sites!  This recipe is so delicious!

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4 thoughts on “Do you have a go to salad?

  1. Do you put Chinese noodles in the coleslaw when you make it? I am thinking of those hard, crunchy noodles that you can buy in a can.

  2. I have a few:
    – diced vegetables (carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, baby turnips) in vinaigrette
    – shredded apple-carrot or pear-carrot salads (best with raisins and almonds…yum!)
    – starchy things tossed in olive oil, garlic, and lots of oregano/basil/mint/parsley (potatoes, rice, quinoa, pasta, etc)

I Love Hearing From All Of You! Thanks for sharing!

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