The sweet crunch of summer corn and crisp slices of zucchini are brightened with a zesty dressing in this Zucchini Corn Salad.

Raw Corn Salad

Many years ago, it was this salad that was one of my first experiences with raw corn. I saw a recipe for raw corn salad in a magazine, did a double take, and had to try it. If you’ve never experienced this vegetable raw, I recommend it!

I love the different flavors of the raw zucchini and corn. With a very light lime vinaigrette, it becomes such a fresh-tasting salad for the summer months. I make it at least once a year when corn is in season.

Zucchini Corn Salad

You might be skeptical of having raw zucchini in your salad. But, trust me on this pairing. The flavors, textures, and colors are all so well balanced. It just works!

Who can deny that the taste of fresh-picked, ripe vegetables is better than vegetables that have been on store shelves for a while? I don’t limit myself to shopping seasonal produce, but this zucchini corn salad does make the most of summer’s vegetables. So, you’ll get to enjoy them while both are at their best.

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:

• fresh corn on the cob
• zucchini
• lime juice
• olive oil
• fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper

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This Spinach Orzo Salad is filled with cranberries, creamy goat cheese, tender pasta, and plenty of fresh spinach tossed in a tangy sweet dressing. The salad can be served immediately or kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days – making this an awesome make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner.

Spinach Salad with Cranberries

The recipe was inspired by the Cranberry Orzo Salad that Princess Cruises serves in their International Cafe. It’s just so good! Tender pasta in a sweetly tangy dressing, with tart fresh cranberries and sliced almonds. Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I’ve included more cruise details at the bottom of the post here for anyone who is interested. As soon as I got home from our cruise through the British Isles, I immediately recreated the salad for my family.

As always, I loved the salad, but my guys? The kids decided that the fresh cranberries were too tart. (Crazy kids!)

So, the next time I made the salad, I went with dried cranberries and it was a win across the board. I like this salad every bit as much with dried cranberries as I do with fresh cranberries – and that’s an even bigger win, since fresh cranberries aren’t available more than a few weeks a year.

(And unless you’re lucky enough to have cranberries stashed in the freezer for this cake, you’ll be stuck waiting until the holidays to try this awesome salad.)

Spinach Orzo Salad

I took our salad to the next level by adding a generous portion of fresh baby spinach and warm chicken. Both the chicken and the spinach made it a heartier meal for my family.

And as far as my guys are concer

Jalapenos and cheddar cheese make this Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad a guaranteed win. With a creamy, spicy dressing and smoky bites of bacon and egg throughout the salad, it’s a crowd favorite.

Jalapeno Popper Potato Salad

I’ve been playing with the idea of combining the spicy flavors of jalapeno poppers with the creamy goodness of potato salad for some time now, and I’m glad to say that this recipe is a hit.

While traditional jalapeno poppers are made with cream cheese, we weren’t big fans of the cream cheese flavor in the first recipe attempt I tested for this potato salad.

So, in lieu of the cream cheese, I’ve bumped up the cheddar cheese here and the potato salad earns two thumbs up from everyone now.

If you want some extra heat, toss in a generous portion of sliced jalapenos in addition to the finely chopped jalapenos in the dressing. I typically add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of sliced jalapenos to our salad.

Be aware that the heat in this salad will increase after resting overnight in the refrigerator. When I tasted the salad again after storing it for the night, my tastebuds were surprised – and this officially became my oldest son’s favorite potato salad due to that extra heat.

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Sweet grapes, crunchy pecans, and vanilla bean sour cream are combined in this unexpected and delicious creamy grape salad. My boys went nuts over this the first time I made it and I couldn’t stop eating bites of it myself.

I’ve made this simple grape salad with pecans countless times now and my youngest son still can’t get enough of it. Every time he sees grapes in the store or in our refrigerator, he asks if we can make “the really good grape salad” again. How could I ever say no to that?

Creamy Grape Salad

There’s no big secret here. Just tasty fresh grapes and pecans covered in creamy, tangy, very lightly sweetened sour cream. Sometimes the simplest recipes really are the best!

This is a popular dish to bring to gatherings with friends, but it’s also great served with a sandwich or wrap for an easy family lunch.

Grape Salad with Pecans

Salads with grapes are classic potluck and party dishes. If you’ve never tasted one, this recipe is the perfect one to make first.

Or, if your experiences with grape salad call to mind overly sweetened, gloppy dishes at family reunions or work picnics, I promise you this particular grape salad recipe is so good it will have you scraping the bowl and going back to the buffet table for seconds.

The pecans in this recipe add great texture and crunch to the salad. As far as I’m concerned, they aren’t optional. If you really dislike pecans, slivered or sliced almonds will also work, though they are not my first choice.

I’d suggest swapping in walnuts before almonds, but in my experience, if someone is averse to pecans, they almost never enjoy walnuts. Just use whatever nut you like best for crunch here, if you don’t care to include the pecans.

Grape Salad Recipe Without Cream Cheese

This grape salad is NOT your average potluck dish. The recipe features a lightly sweetened sour cream dressing and I’m happy to say that this salad trumps any other grape salads I’ve tasted.

Years ago, we made versions of this salad with cool whip or vanilla pudding. They were fine but nothing spectacular so I wasn’t in any rush to make them again.

I’ve also tasted grape salads made with yogurt or cream cheese dressings. Again, they tasted okay but didn’t leave any big impression. I could take them or leave them, really.

Sour Cream Grape Salad

Then, I discovered lightly sweetened sour cream. Several years ago, I made these Layered Lemon Cheesecake and tasted sweetened sour cream for the first time. I was impressed by the difference a tiny sprinkling of sugar made in the typically tangy (and sour) cream.

If you haven’t tried lightly sweetened sour cream before, you’re in for a fun treat. I have served this salad to several people who were shocked that the creamy dressing was simply sour cream.

Sour cream with just a to

A colorful medley of garden-fresh vegetables is tossed in a light oil and vinegar dressing to make this tangy pasta salad a surefire hit at your next gathering.

Potluck Pasta Salad

We love pasta salads as the weather warms up. There aren’t many things that beat having a meal ready-to-go in the fridge on a hot summer night.

Part of that is the fact that we lived in Phoenix for so many years. When it’s 108 degrees outside and muggy from a thunderstorm, you learn to eat as light as possible. And, you keep the oven off as much as possible.

No Mayo Pasta Salad

This recipe is great for a summertime gathering because it is simple to make, loaded with flavor, and you don’t have to worry about it sitting in the sun. No mayo is perfect for a potluck pasta salad.

If you’ve been here for very long, then you’ll know that I’m an equal opportunity employer of mayonnaise. I like a mayo free pasta salad with a bright vinaigrette just as much as I enjoy a creamy pasta salad with mayo.

You’ll love that this Italian Penne Pasta Salad can be set out and then forgotten about. There are no worries about a no mayo pasta salad spoiling in the sun.

This Garlicky Spinach Pasta Salad and this Summer Israeli Couscous Salad are excellent salads that are perfect for summer.

This California Spaghetti Salad is loaded with many of our favorite flavors too. And this Strawberry Spinach Pasta Salad is a must any time you have fresh strawberries around!

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