Growing up my parents would have family functions where we would have big potlucks and everyone would bring a dish. However more and more when I go to events many people just stop at a deli and pick up a salad or they bring a bag of chips and luckily for me a lot of people still bake a lot of home-made goodies such as brownies and cookies however I think some people get intimidated by salads even though are easy and economical and they are always a big hit. I will share my three top salads I bring to party’s and potlucks below. My philosophy is it has to be economical and it has to be easy to prepare. I work for the school system as a Webmaster and the front line for trouble shooting computers it is always go, go, go…and I have a son who plays football and on top of all that I juggle all of my suburban homestead responsibilities so just like many of you I am super busy. Here are three of my go to salads (they are pictured above)when I don’t know what to bring and I want to prepare something that is going to be just the thing…..or make all three!
Macaroni Salad
- 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 C. sugar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
Directions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
Tuna Nicoise Pasta Salad
- 1 pound farfalle
- 6 oz. canned green beans
- 4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 2 6-ounce cans tuna in water, drained
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 hardboiled eggs, quartered (optional)
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While pasta and beans are cooking, combine olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together. Add tuna, tomatoes, olives, and parsley. Stir to combine.
Last but not least here is the recipe I used for my Asian Coleslaw I got this recipe from Simply Recipes one of my favorite recipe sites! This recipe is so delicious!
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Do you put Chinese noodles in the coleslaw when you make it? I am thinking of those hard, crunchy noodles that you can buy in a can.
Yes Mom but I sprinkle them on top at the end. It is not easy to find those noodles anymore but my store around the corner does have them.
I have a few:
– diced vegetables (carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, baby turnips) in vinaigrette
– shredded apple-carrot or pear-carrot salads (best with raisins and almonds…yum!)
– starchy things tossed in olive oil, garlic, and lots of oregano/basil/mint/parsley (potatoes, rice, quinoa, pasta, etc)
Those sound so yummy! I love the addition of the herbs those are the little things that really make a salad pop!