Travel Destinations & Culinary Adventures

Salads

6 Flavorful Salads with Dried Fruit

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I love a hearty salad and especially appreciate the Panera Bread salads. But at $11 per salad, dining there can get costly! My go-to order at Panera is the Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken. So, to make it myself, I decided to dehydrate apples and create a copycat version. As a bonus, I’m including a round-up of heart-healthy salads from several food blogging friends.

These scrumptious salad recipes with dried fruit can be made during their week to tote to work for lunch as a lighter dinner option. 

Gala Apple Salad with Rotisserie Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Made with mixed greens and tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, this salad combines tangy and sweet flavors. My salad recipe is made with dried apples, freshly shredded rotisserie chicken (buy one at the store!), tomatoes, goat cheese crumbles, red onion slices, and almond slices. I also love adding dried cranberries or golden raisins when I want more fruit flavor.

Preparing this salad is as simple as coating a large bowl with your desired amount of homemade balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below), adding the salad ingredients, and using tongs to toss the salad mixture until evenly coated with dressing. I think you’re going to love it.

You will need Agave Nectar (or honey) for this dressing recipe.

Gala Apple Salad with Rotisserie Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
gala apple salad with rotisserie chicken

Balsamic Vinaigrette

One Delightful Life
This tangy yet slightly sweet vinaigrette can be used as a dressing over almost any salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 T. Agave Nectar Light
  • 1 T. Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 1 finely diced garlic clove

Instructions
 

  • Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
  • (You can also add all of the ingredients to a mason jar, add lid, and shake vigorously until well mixed.)
  • Serve immediately.

Farro Spinach Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts

Yay! For Food’s salad is described as a sweet and savory vegan salad featuring the healthy whole grain: farro! Marie’s Farro Spinach Salad with Dried Fruit and Nuts recipe brings all the flavor and is nutritious. Farro, a grain that is nutty in flavor but a bit sweet, is high in fiber and a good source of protein and iron. Like rice, it is sold dried and prepared in water until it softens.

Recipe: YayForFood.com

Moroccan Couscous Salad

Contributing food blogger Marlee from ijustmakesandwiches.com, says her Moroccan Couscous Salad is made with dried fruit such as apricots and raisins tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. She suggests serving this cold couscous salad with roasted chicken or salmon. The Mediterranean couscous adds texture to this highly flavorful salad!

Recipe: I Just Make Sandwiches

Apple Fig Walnut Rocket Salad

This recipe is a winner! It combines some of my favorite flavors, including dried figs. Rhian of hintohealthy.com made it using “crunchy apples, jammy dried figs, earthy walnuts, and peppery rocket (arugula) coated in a garlicky pesto dressing!”

Learn how to make this gluten-free, vegan Apple Fig Walnut Rocket Salad for your next brunch or lunch with friends.

Recipe: Rhian’s Recipes

Kale Salad with Apples and Cranberries + Tahini Dressing

The best part of making a salad is that it is versatile. This hearty kale salad made with tahini dressing gets its texture from the leafy bits of kale, pumpkin seeds, chunks of apples, and dried cranberries.

All you have to do is combine the ingredients in a bowl and toss it with the dressing! Not a fan of Tahini? You could serve Hint of Healthy’s Kale Salad with Apples and Cranberries with a vinaigrette dressing as well.

Recipe: Hint of Healthy

Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

A perfect salad to make during the fall, Cooking Carnival’s Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad combines the rich flavors of chopped kale, onion, butternut squash, quinoa, pecans, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. I could see making this healthy salad as my entire dinner.

Recipe: Cooking Carnival

Love what you see here and want yet another salad option? If you’re hunting for a mostly fruit salad layered on a bed of fresh greens, you’ll adore my Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

I’m always eager to add another fresh salad to my line-up of weeknight stars, so be sure to add your recipe idea to the comments below!

 

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich on Ciabatta

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Very few ingredients go together as well, like peanut butter and jelly than hard-boiled egg and Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Hands down! This Egg Salad Sandwich is a classic for a reason and is incredibly creamy and delicious on a toasted ciabatta roll with crunchy romaine lettuce.

Bonus: The breakdown price of ingredients for each sandwich is only one dollar! Let me show you how to save money on your next delicious lunch.

If you buy cage-free eggs on sale and your ciabatta rolls from Aldi, this sandwich is the cheapest meal you’ll enjoy all week. Guaranteed. I buy a package of six pre-sliced ciabatta rolls at Aldi ($1,49), and the eggs and vegetables from Kroger when on sale (prices vary). (Don’t forget to read my post 10 Ways to Get Deep Discounts on Groceries Without Using Coupons.

You know I love a deal and also want to save you money. Look for Manager’s Special discounts on packaged dill or soon-to-expire lettuce in the grocer’s produce section.

It looks like I already took a bite out of this egg salad sandwich, but I didn't. Trust me. It was hard to resist eating it until I got the photo.
It looks like I already took a bite out of this egg salad sandwich, but I didn’t. Trust me. It was hard to resist eating it or that homemade dill pickle until I got the photo.

If you look up how to boil an egg, more than one recipe exists. Hard to believe since it’s a basic cooking skill, but it’s true. Some people think you should add white vinegar to the saucepan water. Here’s my easy-to-follow method:

  1. Layer my eggs in a glass one-quart saucepan, cover them with one inch of lukewarm water, and bring them to a boil.
  2. As soon as the water boils, remove it from the burner and cover it with a lid for fifteen minutes.
  3. After the time expires, remove each egg with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl of ice water.
  4. Later, crack and peel each egg under running water.

Mix all chopped ingredients in one medium bowl and then pile it on your favorite light bread or cut the carbs and spoon it into a leaf cup. My recipes yielded four or five ciabatta sandwiches, depending on how high you pile the egg salad.

This meal was a lunchtime hit, and we ran out of egg salad in two sittings. It’s hard to resist.

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egg salad sandwich

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich on Ciabatta

onedelightfullife.com
When sandwiched between ciabatta from Aldi, this egg salad sandwich is a meal deal at only $1 per serving.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course lunch, sandwich
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 7 hard-boiled chopped eggs
  • 1/4 c. mayonnaise I used Hellmann's
  • 1 1/2 T. stoneground mustard
  • 2 diced celery ribs
  • 1 T. diced red onion
  • 1 diced scallion
  • 1 T. chopped fresh dill
  • 1 chopped dill spear
  • heavy pinch black pepper
  • small pinch kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Hard-boil the eggs, remove shell, and chop them.
  • In a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients.
  • Add chopped eggs to sandwich mixture and stir well.
  • Cover and chill in refrigerator at least 30 minutes to an hour.
  • Spoon onto a ciabatta roll and add lettuce.

Notes

Want a smoked flavor? Add 1/2 T. smoked paprika.

egg salad sandwich

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint

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The perfect piece of watermelon isn’t in the shape in a half-moon. It’s a cube! Cut up your ripe watermelon into one inch cubes of juicy goodness so you can pop them straight into your mouth. (I think cubed watermelon is get-in-the-tummy-yummy after it has sat in a Rubbermaid container in the fridge for at least a day.)

Tip: When selecting a watermelon at the grocery store or farmer’s market, turn it over. Look it over and check for a yellow area. This yellow spot means that it sat on the ground long enough to ripen up. Did you know a watermelon is over 90% water? The heavier the melon, the better! (It’s hydrating and you can eat it guilt-free.) Buy fresh mint in the produce section at the grocery story OR you can grow it quite easily in partial sunshine in a container pot. Don’t forget to water it, but don’t flood it. My mint grows tall and sits happily next to basil.

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint takes this ordinary summer fruit and makes it extraordinary. Besides, July is National Watermelon Month!

The flavor of the slightly tangy dressing coats the salad. Ribbons of mint leaves elevate its flavor giving it a brightness and the little blueberries pop with sweetness in your mouth. And who doesn’t love cheese? Add feta to this salad and its taste reaches heavenly status. You can serve this as a summer salad or as a dessert, a favorite in our household.

watermelon-blueberry-feta-salad-with-mint

Tip: Buy your berries from Aldi, if you have one in your area. These blueberries were only 99 cents a quart.

Make the salad's dressing separately and then add fruit and combine flavors.
Make the salad’s dressing separately and then add fruit and combine flavors.

Watermelon Blueberry Feta Salad with Mint

onedelightfullife.com
These watermelon squares are like little presents of juicy flavor. Combine them with blueberries, feta, and mint to make this ordinary summer fruit extraordinary.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Salad
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups cubed watermelon remove rind
  • 1/2 package blueberries
  • 2 T crumbled feta cheese
  • 4 small springs sliced fresh mint
  • 1/4 c. watermelon fruit salad dressing
  • Watermelon Fruit Salad Dressing:
  • 3 T light olive oil
  • 1 1/2 T. lime juice
  • 2 T. honey
  • 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Remove rind from watermelon and cube the fruit into one-inch pieces.
  • Refrigerate watermelon to chill in a large bowl plastic covered in plastic.
  • Layer mint leaves on to each other and roll into a cylindrical shape. Run a sharp knife through the mint several times to cut the herb into ribbons. Set aside.
  • To make the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Remove the watermelon from the refrigerator and drain any residual juice.
  • Add the dressing, crumbled feta, blueberries, and mint to the watermelon and toss with your hands until well incorporated.
  • Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve chilled.

Notes

You could also use honeydew or cantaloupe instead of watermelon.
Don't trash the watermelon rind! It can be pickled in jars with and used later in a salad or as a condiment.

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Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

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I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tired of catering to my meat-and-potatoes man and I want to lighten up my entreé. While he wouldn’t be caught dead eating this fruit loaded salad, it’s one of my indulgences.

It makes a layered lunch or dinner salad that tastes tangy, sweet, and finishes with a hearty bacon flavor. Spinach Fruit Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing looks gorgeous. Yay for pretty food!

Note: You could use a store-bought raspberry vinaigrette, but the recipe is simple if you have the time to whisk it up.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

To make the salad base, simply layer or group the following ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing recipe below.

Ingredients:

  • spinach leaves
  • blueberries
  • sliced strawberries
  • sliced kiwi
  • sliced Gala apple
  • shredded cheddar cheese (feta or goat cheese could be substituted)
  • crumbled hickory bacon
  • slivered almonds (toasted walnut could be substituted)
  • Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (see recipe below)

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

onedelightfullife.com
A light and tangy dressing, it adds a fruit forward flavor to any salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course dressing
Cuisine dinner, Lunch

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup raspberries
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • pinch of black pepper
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of black poppy seeds optional

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended.
  • Refrigerate in a jar for one hour prior to serving, if time allows.
  • Shake jar before serving.

Notes

This dressing will last one week in a jar in your refrigerator.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

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If you love this salad, you will appreciate 6 Flavorful Salads with Dried Fruit. If traveling through my home state, Kansas, refer to Get Your Greens On: Where to Find the Best Salads in Kansas.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

 

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