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Homemade Salad Dressing
I go back and forth with making homemade salad dressing. Sometimes I really enjoy it and other times I prefer to buy a bottle from the store. I have most of the ingredients on hand in my kitchen – oil, vinegar or fruit juice, and seasonings. This makes it easy to mix together a salad dressing when we need it.

Chickpea Salad
Our July recipe of the month is Chickpea Salad. This salad is ideal for these hot summer days with chickpeas, chopped vegetables, and a quick homemade dressing. The only problem is, I am not really a fan of this recipe. Like most people, there are foods I like and foods I do not like. Chickpeas are my least favorite type of bean and I only like mayo in certain recipes. Thankfully, my friend Christine loves this recipe and has been making it for many years. Below Christine shares her thoughts on Chickpea Salad.

Waldorf Summer Salad
WOW, what an easy salad and one that kids love (it’s the marshmallows).

It’s Too Hot To Cook!
Who wants to cook when it is this hot? Not me. But, I still want to eat! Here are some ideas for quick, easy, inexpensive meals with links to my favorite SpendSmart.EatSmart. recipes.

Summer Vegetables Ready for Delicious Eating
While I don’t like temperatures in the 90’s and high humidity, the vegetable plants in our garden seem very content especially if they get enough water.

Creamy Cauliflower Salad—Lots of Flavor, Few Calories
I have to admit I was skeptical when I first tried this recipe. I could not imagine cauliflower, apples, and lettuce together. Now I am a believer. The fresh, mild taste of the crunchy cauliflower, the sweet, tart flavor of the apple, and the ranch dressing are great together.

Homemade Salad Dressing … Easy as 1, 2, 3
Homemade salad dressing adds wonderful flavor to salads of all kinds – lettuce, fruit, and pasta salads. You can even add dressing to roasted veggies to add extra flavor. The thing I like best about homemade salad dressing is that it can be made quickly and easily by keeping some basic ingredients in your pantry – vinegar and oil plus whatever add-ins taste great to you, such as herbs, spices, mustard, fruit juice, sugar, salt, pepper.

Crisp Fruit Salad
This recipe is so easy it is almost embarrassing, but it tastes so good we had to include it. The dressing is what makes this a hit. Adding just a little mayonnaise to the yogurt really ups the flavor. The lemon juice prevents the apples and pears from turning dark.

Build a Better Salad
How many of you are like me and are trying to start some healthy habits in the new year? Whether you’re trying to save money or eat better, packing a healthy lunch can help you do both! Salad is a common go-to option for people trying to eat better, but not all salads are created equal. Here is a quick guide to simplify packing salads for lunch.

Zesty Whole Grain Salad
A student shared the inspiration for this recipe with me, and, once I tasted it, I was hooked. I ate it for lunch nearly every day for weeks.

Orange Dressing
Our May recipe of the month is sure to get you in the mood for spring produce if you are not already. A salad of spring greens (spinach, leaf lettuce, or Swiss chard), chopped spring vegetables (broccoli or snow peas), and chopped spring fruit (strawberries or pineapple) tastes delicious with our homemade Orange Dressing.

Chicken BLT Salads
My parents are professional tomato growers. They started out small when I was young with about six plants. Now they have dozens of plants of many different varieties. Regardless of how many tomato plants they have, one thing remains the same – bacon, lettuce, and tomato (BLT) sandwiches. We feast on them along with any other fresh produce we can find (usually corn on the cob, green beans, and cucumbers).