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Monday, June 2, 2014

From Kelly's Kitchen: Sensational Summer Salad

If you're looking for a super-easy summer salad, look no further. With so many variations, this salad is protein rich and hearty enough for a main course, or as a a perfect side dish. 

And it's so pretty!



The best part is, the the ingredients are interchangeable, so you can make it yours. And it's mayonnaise free...perfect for outdoor parties, because cold or room temperature, it's delicious. 

From Kelly's Kitchen...Sensational Summer Salad

  • 1 box of couscous (plain or flavored)  or 2 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed. (or any beans you like)
  • 1 small container of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved. (I tossed mine with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them at 375 for 30 minutes.)
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 3-4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta (I used low fat) 
  • 1/2 cup diced mango
  • 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

Cook the couscous or quinoa according to package directions. Set aside or cool.

Combine other ingredients and then mix with the grain.


That's it. Easy, right?



You could probably substitute fresh mint for the basil, or you could use parsley.
You could add lemon zest and some fresh lemon juice. 

I had balsamic vinaigrette on the table, just in case we needed it, but we didn't.

You might want to add salt and pepper...your call.

The fruit mixes well with the fresh basil and feta. And the roasted tomatoes add an incredible depth of flavor. So good. 


So there you have it. An easy mayonnaise-free summer salad that you can make your own with your own favorite things. It's a keeper.

Enjoy!



50 comments:

  1. Ooooooh, that looks delicious - I must get some mango! :)

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    1. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  2. Perfect summer salad! Pinning :)

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    1. Thank you, Sarah. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  3. I'm so into any mayo-free summer salad. And roasting the tomatoes was a brilliant move! This whole thing is just so summery and I can almost taste it :)

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    1. Thank you, Christy. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy!

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  4. Looks so good. Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you, Zakkiya. :-) It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  5. I've been thinking about making something with 3 ingredients I've never tried before: mango, Quinoa, couscous. Strange your salad showed up with all three. Must be an omen.

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    1. Thank you, Jeannie. But use either couscous or quinoa, not both...unless you do half of each. Enjoy. :-)

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  6. That looks like the perfect summer salad! YUMMM!!!

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    1. Thank you, Stacey. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  7. Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thank you, Amy. :-) It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  8. This looks so good. I've been craving a really good salad so I think I'll try this.

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    1. Thank you, Jazmine. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  9. I have been looking for some great salads using couscous or quinoa and this one looks absolutely devine... pinning it to use this week....

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  10. Oh yum! I am always looking for new fresh salad ideas during the summer!

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    1. Thank you, Diann. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting! :-)

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  11. Yum! Yum! Yum! This sounds like something I could eat for days in the summer!

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    1. Thank you, Jessica. :-) It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  12. Replies
    1. Thank you, Stephanie. :-) It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  13. makes me hungry! saving this for later :)

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    1. Thank you, Lindsay. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  14. That sounds amazing! Love the mango added into it.

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    1. The mango definitely adds a bit of sweet. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! Have a great day, Kerry. :-)

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  15. This looks so good. I just bought two mangos yesterday. perfect timing!

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    1. Thank you, Carolann. Perfect timing, indeed. Enjoy!

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  16. Replies
    1. Thank you! :-) It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  17. Wow what an easy recipe! I will have to try this sometime...gives me more practice for cooking quinoa! Visiting from Hump Day Happenings!

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    1. Hi Janelle,
      Thank you! :-) It is delicious, and quinoa is easy. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  18. I love couscous! This salad sound so good and refreshing. Thanks for sharing on Hump Day Happenings!

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    1. I love couscous too, Jenna. It's a great salad. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to link up. :-)

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  19. This looks fabulous! I am on the hunt for tasty new summer salads. This definitely made the list!

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    1. Thank you, Katy. It is delicious. I hope you try it. Enjoy! And thanks for visiting!

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  20. I'm not huge on couscous, but this looks lovely just the same.

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    1. You could probably sub it out for quinoa, bulgar or even rice. It is delicious. :-)

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  21. This has almost all of my favorite things in it, I bet it is fabulous. Thanks for sharing on Let's Get Real (I'm co-hosting this week)!

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    1. I hope you like it, Melissa. Enjoy! Thanks for the opportunity to link up. :-)

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  22. Hi Kelly - Thanks so much for sharing with the Let's Get Real party. I'm pinning this to our group board.

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    1. Hi, Gaye. Thank you so much for the opportunity to link up and for the pin. :-)

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  23. Hi Kelly - Thanks so much for sharing with the Let's Get Real party. I'm pinning it to our group board.

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    1. Hi, Gaye. Thank you so much for the opportunity to link up and for the pin. :-)

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  24. Perfect recipe for summer time. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Friday Blog Hop!

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  25. Definitely will be making this! It looks to be easy: to cook and take for lunch while teaching summer school! Glad I came over from the blog hop!

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    1. It is so easy, Laura, and so easy. I hope you love it. :-) Welcome! I hope you visit again soon.

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