Delicious Salad Ideas: Cool Meals for Those Hot Summer Days

Now that many of us are heading into the warmer weather months, the idea of cooking hot meals may be something we dread. If the temperature especially heads into the 90s or higher, the last thing we want to do is eat a hot meal. We want something cool and refreshing instead. Well, I can't think of a better time then the warm or hot weather months to think about having a lot of salads, but what kind? Plain lettuce and maybe added tomatoes and a touch of dressing sounds so incredibly boring. Well here are some of my great salad ideas that will make for a great lunch or dinner meal on those hot summer days.

I'm a stickler in making all my own homemade salad ideas from scratch. For some reason, I just plain don't care for the taste of macaroni salad one can get at a deli, as it seems to have an odd aftertaste. Neither do I care for other salads one can get at a deli, like potato, or especially tuna salad which I find too salty for my taste. Also, one has no idea just how long those salads may have been sitting there and may not be as freshly made as one would like.

So long time ago, I decided to simply make all my own salads, and have done so ever since. Yes, almost all my salad ideas do require some cooking, but if made in enough quantity can last for several meals. The first is my own version of Macaroni salad, which I'm sure you'll enjoy.

My Delicious Homemade Macaroni Salad:

Ingredients:

8 ounzes of macaroni (half a 16-ounce box)
½ large green bell pepper, chopped
½ large tomato, slightly/coursely chopped
¼ cup chopped onions
½ cup mayonnaise
¹⁄8 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley
few dashes of pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add macaroni and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. In a large bowl, place cooled macaroni, and add chopped pepper, tomato, onions and mix. Then add the mayonnaise, white vinegar, parsley and few dashes of pepper to taste. Once again blend macaroni mixture. Cover bowl with foil and place in refrigerator to chill for a few hours.
Servings: approximately 4

My next recipe is for my homemade Potato Salad.

My Homemade Potato Salad: