Cold Summer Side Dishes 

Summer is in full swing here. How do I know? The water bill came. 😐 When water bill goes way up then that means it is crazy hot and my grandson has been running through the sprinklers, playing on his splash pad or with his other water toys. Ok, I'll admit we adults join in too but only because of the grandson. 😉 I really don't mind though because we are building memories and that's the good stuff in life. 

However, I always get antsy around this time of year. I love fall and it seems to take forever to get here when we are in this long, homestretch of summer. 

So during this very hot and humid time, cold side dishes are the way to go. When these are served with a nice piece of grilled steak, chicken, hamburger or hot dog it equals perfection on a hot summer day!

I'm going to share two personal favorite recipes of cold and delicious side dishes. 

First up is Baba's Carrot Salad. 

This has all of my grandson's favorite snacks mixed together. Raisins, pineapple, carrots, walnuts, even a bit of applesauce. 😍 

Here's all there is to it...

In a medium to large mixing bowl put...

3 c Shredded carrots

1 c Raisins

1 8oz can Crushed pineapple (drain the juice and set it aside)

1/2 c Chopped walnuts

Then in a small mixing bowl whisk together...

1/3 c    Mayonnaise 

1/3 c    Sour cream

Juice of half a lemon (about 2T)

2 tsp    Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

2 T      Applesauce (or apple juice)

1-2 T   Pineapple juice that was set aside)

 **If you would like a more tangy dressing just eliminate the pineapple juice and increase the lemon juice. **

Pour dressing over contents in the larger bowl. 

Mix well then cover bowl and chill at least one hour in the fridge. 

**The longer this sits the better it tastes. I like to make it the day before I plan to serve it.**

Next up is Quinoa Salad...

This recipe is inspired by a cooking show that used to be on the Food Network called Weighing In. This is so good it's almost addicting! I always make a double batch!

Here' what to do...

In a small mixing bowl whisk together then set aside:

3/4 c    Balsamic vinegar

3-4 cloves of crushed garlic 

1/4 c    Extra Virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

In a large bowl combine...

2-4 c Cooked Quinoa

2 c    Craisins

2 c    Thawed frozen peas 

1 c Walnuts 

1 c chopped green onion

Whisk dressing mixture one more time. 

Then pour dressing over mixture in larger bowl

Mix well then chill covered n fridge. 

After an hour salt and pepper to taste. Again, the longer it sits the better it tastes. 

Both of these recipes serve approx 6-8 people. I really don't have a serving size amount. I just love throwing ingredients together and creating something yummy! 😀

I hope you'll give these a try. Your friends and family will love them. I know mine do. 

Enjoy!!

Lar