Summer Salad Recipe | Joyful Healthy Eats

Why This Salad Recipe Belongs on Your Summer Menu

This salad checks all of the packing containers for freshness, taste, and ease. Here’s why you’re going to find it irresistible!

• The easiest of summer time. With candy corn, cherry tomatoes, peaches, and crunchy cucumbers, this salad is a celebration of all the most effective flavors that summer time has to supply.
• Easy to make. Mix up the dressing, marinate the hen, throw it on the grill, and all that’s left to do is prep the veggies and put all of it collectively! This is the best meal for summertime if you don’t need to spend so much of time within the kitchen.
• A salad you may make a meal out of. I developed this salad to be eaten as a essential course, so whilst you can serve it as a aspect or add different parts to your meal, you don’t must.

What You’ll Need

Here’s an inventory of elements you’ll have to recreate this summer time salad recipe at dwelling. Scroll all the way down to the recipe card to search out the ingredient portions and recipe directions.

Summer Salad:

• Kale – I really like kale as the bottom for this salad as a result of when it’s massaged, it will get good and tender.
• Corn – Use recent, native corn—not canned or frozen! The taste simply doesn’t evaluate.
• Peaches – Nectarines make different as a result of they’re actually the identical fruit, minus the fuzzy pores and skin.
• Cherry tomatoes – Or grape tomatoes, should you choose.
• Red onion – Shallots can be utilized for a milder taste.
• Walnuts – Offers crunch, earthiness, and a few richness. Salads are all about contrasting textures so I really like including nuts!
• Cucumber – Refreshing and hydrating, which is strictly what you need in a summer time salad.
• Avocado – Creamy and wealthy avocado provides one other layer of texture.
• Boneless, skinless hen thighs – Or hen breasts, should you choose them. Just notice that they don’t want as lengthy on the grill.

Honey Mustard Dressing:

• Dijon mustard and coarse mustard – Adds a tangy, sharp taste and texture to the dressing.
• Apple cider vinegar – Brings acidity and stability. It actually makes the candy flavors within the salad pop!
• Raw honey – For pure sweetness; maple syrup works instead.
• Dry thyme – Contributes earthy, natural notes.
• Garlic – I like utilizing recent garlic as a result of it’s punchier, however you possibly can swap in garlic powder for a milder taste.
• Salt & pepper – Always important in a dressing!

How to Make This Summer Salad

Here’s a fast overview of the steps concerned in making this recipe.

• Make the dressing. Whisk all of the elements collectively in a bowl.
• Marinate the hen. Combine the hen thighs and 1/3 cup of the dressing in a bowl. Toss to coat and marinate for 20 minutes.
• Massage the kale. Strip the kale from the stems and chop the leaves roughly. Add the leaves to a bowl and therapeutic massage till they darken and turn into tender.

• Grill the hen. Grill the hen and corn over medium-high warmth, till the corn is charred and the hen reaches an inner temperature of 165°F. Let the hen relaxation earlier than slicing and lower the kernels from the cob.
• Assemble the salad. Add the corn, peaches, tomatoes, crimson onions, walnuts, diced cucumbers, and remaining dressing to the bowl with the kale. Toss to coat, then high with the avocado and hen.

Tips and Variations

Here are some suggestions and variations to strive with this summer time salad recipe.

• Grill the peaches too. For a smoky taste and further sweetness, think about grilling the peaches together with the corn and hen. It will get caramelized and SO scrumptious on the grill.
• Make it nut-free. Swap out walnuts for sunflower seeds or pepitas should you choose a special crunch or have a nut allergy.
• Add some cheese. Sprinkle feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, or grated Parmesan onto the salad, both along with or as an alternative of the avocado, for some further richness.
• Use one other inexperienced. If kale isn’t your favourite, you possibly can substitute it with spinach, arugula, romaine, or blended greens.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate leftover summer time salad in an hermetic container for as much as a day should you’ve added the dressing already, or as much as 3 days should you retailer the dressing individually. You can reheat the hen should you’d like, however you don’t must.

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