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29 Epic Salad Recipes

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29 epic salad recipes

This time of year, all I want to eat are big, fresh, colorful salads. So, I rounded up a casual twenty-nine of my favorites for you to enjoy. You can always view my full salad archives here.

If you have a copy of my cookbook, crack open the salads chapter! You’ll find eleven more of my favorite salads, plus four of my go-to homemade salad dressings, side salad suggestions for each season, and a five-step guide to designing your own epic salad.

Salads keep best when the dressing is stored separately from the rest. I like to make a big batch of salad and keep it in the fridge for whenever hunger strikes. Just drizzle dressing into individual portions and enjoy. What kind of salad would you like to see next?

Truly the best Italian chopped salad recipe! It's vegetarian (easily vegan), too.

1) Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad

Gluten free and easily vegan

“I made your vegetarian Italian chop salad recipe. I loved it. The Italian dressing was better the second day. Great recipe! I added some chopped grilled chicken for my husband who is not vegetarian. It is one of the best vegetable salads I have eaten. I will make it often” – Donna

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Mixed Berry Crisp (Gluten Free)

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mixed berry crisp with serving spoon

How about a fruity treat? On a summer evening, there’s not much better than a warm homemade crisp with cold vanilla ice cream. This mixed berry crisp is the perfect use for those wonderful in-season berries. It’s easy to make (far less fussy than a pie) and just as good.

You can make this crisp with any combination of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries—use all four or just a couple. Or, use it as a template for a single-berry crisp (here’s a more straightforward blueberry crisp recipe). You can’t go wrong.

berries for berry crisp

This mixed berry crisp recipe is the latest addition to my growing collection of crisps on the blog. Like most of the others, this recipe just so happens to be gluten free, easily made vegan, and naturally sweetened.

I love the combination of oats and almond flour in the topping—the result is golden and crisp on top, and tender underneath. The topping keeps well to enjoy leftovers for several days. I like to eat it for breakfast with plain Greek yogurt. Why not?

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Cilantro Hemp Pesto

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cilantro hemp pesto recipe

Looking for an easy way to liven up your meals? Add a fresh sauce! Let me introduce you to my latest favorite—this refreshing cilantro and hemp seed pesto. It’s made simply with fresh cilantro, hemp seeds, garlic, optional jalapeño (for some heat) and olive oil.

Even if you don’t love cilantro, there’s a strong chance you’ll enjoy this sauce. My husband is typically in the “no cilantro” camp, but he kept going back for spoonfuls of this pesto.

how to make cilantro hemp pesto

I’m using the term “pesto” loosely here, since traditional basil pesto is made with basil, pine nuts and Parmesan. Instead of pine nuts, I used hemp seeds, which are high in protein and key minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.

When blended, the hemp seeds (also known as hemp hearts) become so nice and creamy that this sauce tastes complete without cheese. This nut-free and dairy-free pesto would be great with basil as well.

This recipe is inspired by a cilantro-hemp sauce that I enjoyed at True Foods Kitchen in Kansas City. They serve it on their “Ancient Grains Bowl,” which is topped with sweet potatoes, onions, portobello mushrooms and avocado. Naturally, this sauce goes well with all of the above, as well as almost any meal with Mexican-inspired flavors. You’ll find more ideas below!

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Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)

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gluten-free banana bread recipe

Are we still baking banana bread? Is that still a thing? Of course it is. I developed this gluten-free banana bread recipe in response to one of the most common questions on my healthy banana bread recipe: “Can I make this with almond flour?”

While my go-to banana bread recipe offers other gluten-free options within the post (including a delicious oat flour option), the almond flour answer is not as straightforward. I think it took me seven tries to get this recipe just right!

This version required several modifications, so I’m sharing it as its own recipe today. I’ll also walk you through how I modified the recipe to work with almond flour, which might be helpful if it’s your preferred flour, or you happen to have a surplus in your pantry.

gluten-free banana bread ingredients

This banana bread is very tender, moist and decadent. These qualities are natural by-products of using almond flour and additional eggs to hold the bread together. This “bread” almost reminds me of pound cake in texture, and it could definitely pass as banana cake—perhaps you’d like to top it with cream cheese frosting.

While it’s different in texture from my favorite banana bread, this gluten-free banana bread is awesome in its own right. Like the other recipe, it’s easy to mix together—by hand, in one bowl, no less! It’s also naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. And, I believe it qualifies as paleo as well. Ready to make some?

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What to Cook This July

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Learn what's in season this month at cookieandkate.com!

July is here. Thank goodness. In June, we listened as very important protests and conversations took place. We spent our first wedding anniversary together in a little cabin. We said goodbye to my beloved grandmother Virginia, and I already miss talking to her about my latest gardening endeavors. The tomatoes that I grew from seed for the first time this spring are getting so big!

We looked for a new home and found one that was downright perfect, except for the location. We’re still looking. Maybe we’ll find the right one in July. Here’s to a month of hope, progress and good health for all of us. I have new recipes in the pipeline, and you’ll find plenty of in-season recipes below.

Looking for 4th of July recipes? Here are some of my favorites. The more salads, the better!

Avocado

best cucumber salad recipe

Gaby’s Cucumber Salad

Gluten free and vegan

“Made this immediately last night and loved it – my daughter as well! Quick and easy for when you get home from work – served alongside pasta.” – Connie

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Easy Pineapple Mint Popsicles

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pineapple mint popsicles recipe

Craving a refreshing summer treat? An easy little project? Something sweet, but not too sweet? These minty pineapple ice pops are just the ticket. They’re made with just two ingredients—pineapple and mint!

These popsicles are naturally sweetened with fruit alone. I actually make my pops with frozen pineapple, which is easy and inexpensive.

how to make pineapple popsicles

This recipe was inspired by a popsicle we enjoyed on a hot summer afternoon in Nashville last year. I insisted that we stop at Las Paletas for popsicles, even though our bellies were still full from lunch.

As our popsicles dripped onto the porch in the heat, I made a mental note to make similar popsicles at home. We can’t hop over to Nashville right now, but at least we can enjoy some cold pops in the backyard!

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