My Favorite Summer Salad

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This salad may look a little familiar. It may remind you of my Spring Salad creation but in terms of summer vegetable freshness, this one is a winner by far! I have been trying to pick up fresh produce at Farmer’s Markets around the city whenever possible. I prefer to buy local when I can, you can seriously taste the difference – plus it’s fun to talk to the person that harvested your vegetables right before selling them to you, right?!

This salad is all about the veggies. Here’s what’s inside:

arugula lettuce mix
carrots
cucumbers
celery
grape tomatoes

Nothing too crazy, just a classic veggie focus. Not very many ingredients, but you can really taste each and every bite – so full of flavor. I love the crunch of crisp, fresh veggies in the summer! It’s the perfect afternoon treat on a hot summer day.

This salad is also just a great overall base for anything else – you can add cheese, nuts, chicken – anything your heart desires to change things up a bit. Depending on what’s in season, on sale or in your fridge!

crisp veggies

I would also like to formally confess my love for grape tomatoes.

If you have been reading the blog for a while, you may know that tomatoes were not something I would eat {until recently} – my mom doesn’t like them and I never really tried them. The texture sort of freaked me out. Yes, I like tomato sauce & ketchup. Not sure what came over me, but around the time I made my favorite Spring Salad, I just decided I wanted tomatoes in my salad. I bought them, I tried them, I love them.

I am still in the grape tomato phase, working my way up to the bigger ones, but literally I put them on everything – Even my Veggie Stuffed Baked Potato! Don’t know why I waited so long to try them, but I am so glad I did!

a new love for tomatoes

I would also like to share with you my love for the Trader Joe’s Goddess Dressing.

I am not much of a dressing girl, for the most part. Sure it’s tasty & delicious to smother your salad with a creamy dressing, but I would rather save the calories for cheese {or chocolate!} I usually just add a little balsamic or lemon/olive oil to dress my salads, but when I want something creamier, I always reach for the Goddess dressing.

Seriously, this stuff is so good. No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives {and it’s vegan} – it’s just so tasty & delicious. If you haven’t tried it yet, you are missing out!

So there you have it – my favorite Summer Salad creation. Feel free to share your favorite ingredients and/or dressing suggestions! I would love to hear what you are loving!