Salad, Salad, Salad

It's officially summer and time for fresh summer salads. I live in the south and as many of you may know, when summer hits it gets HOT. It's very rare that during the summer months I want a meal that feels heavy. I usually crave food that can be grilled or a nice salad loaded with good ingredients. There is a restaurant in town, Village Tavern, that has one of my favorite salads. It's a mix of baby romaine lettuce, creamy blue cheese, bacon, diced tomatoes, red onion and finished with a deliciously sweet vinaigrette. It's light, it's cool and it's very refreshing on a hot summer evening. Another salad I love to make when it's hot outside is a southwestern style salad. I love to load it up with grilled corn, chopped romaine, tomatoes, bacon, crushed tortilla chips, grilled chicken and a yummy salsa ranch. The key to this southwestern salad is the grilled chicken. I marinate it with fresh lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little honey and southwestern spices (cumin, chili pepper & cayenne pepper). After the chicken is off the grill and sliced, squeeze a little extra lime juice over it and it will give it that little zing of freshness your craving on a hot night.

Tavern Salad


Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad