3 Easy Recipes for Wonderfully Refreshing Summer Salads

summer salad

When temperatures are hot, the last thing you want to eat is a heavy meal. How about trying a fresh salad instead? These 3 delicious and healthy summer salad recipes taste great as a main meal or BBQ side dish.

1. Arabian lentil salad

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • 250 g brown lentils (pre-cooked)
  • 100 g cherry tomatoes
  • ½ cucumber
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 1 handful of mint
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Wash the tomatoes and cucumber and cut them into cubes.
2. Mix them with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
3. Finely dice the shallot and garlic. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallot and garlic together with the cumin seeds.
4. In the meantime, chop the parsley and mint.
5. Mix all the ingredients together. Let the lentil salad sit for 30 minutes before serving.

One serving has 315 calories, 16 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of protein and 22 g of fat.

2. Watermelon salad with feta and arugula

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • ½ watermelon
  • 200 g feta
  • 1 shallot
  • 75 g arugula
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cut the watermelon into cubes and place them in a bowl.
2. Cut the shallot into rings.
3. Crumble the feta and toss it with the watermelon, shallot rings and arugula.
4. Dress the salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pepper.

One serving has 288 calories, 18 g of carbohydrates, 10 g of protein and 18 g of fat.

3. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients (serves 3):

  • 150 g quinoa
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • 1 handful of fresh basil
  • 50 g dried tomatoes
  • 20 g capers
  • 20 g pine nuts (toasted)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Bring the quinoa and twice the amount of water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Slice the onion into rings and dice the tomatoes. Chop the herbs.
3. Toss the quinoa with the onion rings, tomatoes, herbs, pine nuts and capers in a bowl.
4. Dress the salad with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

One serving has 310 calories, 35 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of protein and 14 g of fat.

 

 

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Julia Denner Julia is a dietician and sports nutritionist. Before she began her position as Communications Specialist at Runtastic, she spent several years working as a dietician in the surgical department at Vienna General Hospital. Julia is passionate about inspiring others to eat a healthy, balanced diet. View all posts by Julia Denner