4 Easy Vegetable Salad Recipes

Who doesn't appreciate a delicious salad filled with their favorite vegetables? I am nuts about an avocado in my salad and I really love cheese too! Hope you find a favorite recipe you will enjoy many times!

1. Basic Salad Fixin'
2. Layered Salad
3. Marinated Cucumber and Onion Salad
4. Fried Okra Salad

We eat a salad with almost every meal at our house. I have started using Romaine lettuce hearts; they come in packages of three or six. When you just buy the single Romaine lettuce, many of the outside leaves are unusable.
Use the lettuce that you prefer. So with that said here is my salad makings!

• 1 Romaine lettuce heart or your favorite
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves or spring greens
• 4 medium diced tomatoes
• 1 small cucumber
• red onion rings or green onions
• red or green bell pepper rings

Toss well, feel free to add or delete any items you do not like, mix and match until you build your favorite salad.

Top with your favorite dressing. Many times I just salt and pepper mine, or leave it naked and dig in!

A layered salad in my mind is the king of salads. It has all the things we love in one bowl.
It's layered with spinach, lettuce, boiled eggs, onions, green peas, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, cheese, bacon, avocado and frosted with a dressing.
Wow so yummy! Allow for overnight refrigeration before serving.

• ½ head lettuce (I like Romaine, use any kind you like.)
• bunch fresh spinach
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, grated
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (tops too)
• 1-16 ounces can green peas, drained
• ½ cup celery, chopped
• ½ cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 10 slices bacon of crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled

• 1 ½ cups mayonnaise
• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• avocado (garnish)

1. Okay, we are ready to layer, get a large glass bowl.
2. Wash, drain and tear the lettuce and spinach into pieces.
3. In a very large glass bowl, layer half of the lettuce, eggs, onions, peas, spinach, celery, bell pepper, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, and bacon.
4. Sprinkle with one teaspoon sugar, salt, and black pepper.
5. Mix the dressing, mayonnaise and sour cream, frost with half of the dressing.
6. Repeat the layers sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar, salt, and black pepper.
7. Frost with the remaining dressing.
8. Sprinkle with the Monterey's Jack cheese, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
9. Before, serving garnish with avocado slices.

• If you desire, you may add a layer of chopped tomatoes.

Cucumber and onions go together so deliciously. We go through many onions in our kitchen.
This is a delicious marinated salad and a great way to use an abundance of cucumbers this summer.

• 3 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced

1. Slice the cucumber in a large bowl, add the salt and toss.
2. Cover the bowl with a plate, laying directly on cucumbers, weight down the plate with one pound can.
3. Set for two hours, drain and rinse well.
4. In the serving bowl add the lemon juice, oil, sugar, and the dill mix.
5. Mix in the cucumbers and red onions, place in a refrigerator overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Fried okra salad is a great recipe to use this summer when you have okra ready in your garden or you can buy it at the supermarket.

The crispy fried okra adds a crunch to this delightful salad. It is so easy to make and the salad bowl will be empty and be asking for more!

Add your favorite meat, like fried chicken and corn on the cob for a delicious meal!

• 4 to 6 cups fried okra
• 6 slices crisp fried bacon, crumbled
• 2 bunches green onions, chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup vinegar

1. Fry the okra in cornmeal batter, as usual, drain on paper towels.
2. Mix these ingredients for the dressing together and shake making sure sugar dissolves.

• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup oil

1. Add to cooled okra, bacon, green onions, bell pepper, and tomatoes.
2. Pour vinegar, oil and sugar dressing over okra mixture, stir and serve immediately.

Serves 8-10.