It seems like almost ever salad the is served at a backyard barbecue is a pasta salad, potato or the standard lettuce salad. One of the best salads is ones using rice. Rice is a way under used base for a salad. It takes on flavors like pasta salads and is great at holding onto the vegetables as you are spooning it on to your dish or mouth. This thai wild rice salad has the great flavors of both the white and wild rices, plus the tangy thai vinaigrette. Plus the crunch of the vegetables it creates a great all around salad that will have your friends and family raving.

In the summer, one of the most common sides is the pasta salad. They are popular due to the salad being nice and cold on a hot summer day and the ease of making them. In this greek pasta salad, the salad is full of fresh bold flavors that are light and delicious on a hot summer day. The salad can be made in under 20 minutes, plus time to let it get cold in the refrigerator. It is perfect for a great easy change to your next picnic or backyard barbecue.

The Waldorf salad was introduced at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel back in the 1890's and has become a classic american salad that is still very popular. The Waldorf salad is a fruit and nut salad that is covered with a creamy dressing served traditionally with a bed of lettuce. The Waldorf salad has had many different variations over the years. Many use dried fruit like raisins with the apples or fresh grapes that give some extra juiciness and sweetness that goes great with crunch of the walnuts and crisp apples. Check out the recipe below at the bottom of this post.

The classic Cobb salad is a classic American salad. There is many different ways of making it but it tends to be made with chopped salad greens, tomato, crisp bacon, boiled, chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, chives, Roquefort or Gorgonzola cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette.

​This autumn Cobb salad takes the classic salad and adds some seasonal changes that makes it just as good as the original. In place of the simple red wine vinaigrette, there is a creamy pecan maple dressing that is full flavored and complements the salad completely. The salad can be made as one large salad or can be made into many separate salads. I make this salad as simple food prep lunch for the week with the dressing on the side. Check out the recipe below in the post.

Broccoli salad is one of the most common potluck and picnic salads. The broccoli has a great crunch and goes great with the raisins, walnuts, cheese and onion. The salad is topped with a classic mayonnaise and vinegar sauce that covers the ingredients, but doesn't pool on the bottom that needs consistent stirring. This broccoli salad is very easy to make and only has a few steps that can be done within minutes. Check out the recipe below in the post.

In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper. Mix until combine. The recipe I use does not have any sugar added like typical dressing. It still has a great flavor with the addition of salt and pepper that the sugar is not missed.

In a large bowl, add the broccoli, raisins, shallot, bacon, walnuts and cheddar cheese. 

Pour the mayonnaise sauce on top and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper if needed. The dressing should be just be enough to cover everything without a lot of excess.

In the summer, some of the best foods are the ones that are light and bright. This asparagus, potato and corn salad is full of colorful vegetables that are tossed in a lemon olive oil dressing. The salad is topped with a parmigiano cheese that gives it a bit of richness and flavor. The salad  is perfect for a large dinner since the salad remains the same consistency through as people are digging in. The dressing is very light which is perfect for a hot summer night. Check out the recipe below in the post.

Tired of having the same old salads at every backyard barbecue or picnic? This grilled ratatouille vegetable salad is a great colorful and very healthy salad that is a great choice for a change. The grilled ratatouille vegetable salad is much lighter then the standard potato or pasta salads that are the norm, but still pack a great flavor from the vegetables and the light vinaigrette dressing and fresh herbs that the grilled vegetables are tossed in. The salad takes very little time and can be served either hot or cold. Check out the recipe below in post.

As spring is finally coming around here in Minnesota (I can Finally see my grill after a record breaking snow fall last month). I decided to celebrate by making a this extremely health, but delicious salmon and farro salad. There is something about fresh grilled vegetable that make them taste great, and the lemon glaze on the salmon make it  great tasting fish even better. Topped with the lemon thyme vinaigrette and sliced almonds is the prefect way to finish the dish.

​Farro is a great ancient grain that is making a comeback. It is not gluten-free since it is derived from wheat. Farro is a great source of fiber and protein and has a great nutty flavor. It is a great substitute for rice, barley and other grains in salads, side dishes and soups.

A nice change from the usual pasta and potato based picnic salads is this delicious chilled asian wild rice salad. this a great recipe to use up leftover rice from your dinner you might have and it has majority ingredients that most homes have already in the pantry. I has a a great balance the the soy sauce and brown sugar build off each other. This recipe increases the flavor the colder the salad gets so i recommend at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

The first thing is to cook the rice according to the packaging. you are wanting to have about 2 cups of cooked rice for each rice for this recipe. I have found if you are in a huge time crunch with both the cooking and refrigerating time, you can use those single serve packaging of cooked rice and the recipe does actually turn out pretty well also.

The next thing is you want to cut all of the ingredients that will be going into the salad. I like to cut everything a little different just got different textures for the whole mouth feel. I like to keep it simple with the carrots, water chestnuts and green onions, you can for sure change and add more to the salad.

Add the mayonnaise, brown sugar, soy sauce and the ground ginger in a large bowl. Mix until you get a smooth dressing for the salad.

Add the cooled rices and vegetables to the large bowl and mix until all of the rice is coated and refrigerate the salad for about 3 hours for full flavor.

Check the flavor before serving and salt if needed, a lot of different soy sauces have different sodium contents so the salt content in the salt will vary quite a bit.

Israeli Couscous is an ingredient that is commonly mistaken as a grain, but it is actually a type of pasta as it is made with wheat. Unlike normal pasta salad that will keep soaking up liquid until the pasta noodles will just fall apart and the salad is unpleasant to look at and soggy mess, Israeli Couscous wont soak up any of the dressing and will keep the perfect Al dente texture. The flavors of the creamy pesto style dressing and the roasted vegetables make a great powerful flavor that will keep everyone coming back for more. Check out the recipe below and don't forget to share with your friends and family.

Israeli couscous can be found in about every grocery store in my area. Cook the Couscous  in simmering water like the package directions state, drain and run under cold water to cool the pasta down quickly and let drain until everything else is ready.

Cut all of the vegetables up into small bit size pieces and toss with oil and spread over a thin layer on oiled sheet pans. Bake in a 475 degree oven until everything is fully cooked and roasted. Make sure to stir half way through to make sure both sides get caramelized.

Add the basil, olive oil, garlic and mayonnaise to the food processor. Puree until everything is well combined and smooth. salt and pepper to taste.

Add everything to  a large bowl and mix until well combined. This salad can be made a few days a head of time without any issues, Just remix before serving.