3 Easy Side Salads

All these recipes are so delicious and are the perfect side dish for any meal! None of them have heavy dressings, and are full of healthy ingredients. The first two recipes are from Martha Stewart and the Panzanella recipe is Ina Garten's. Enjoy!

Green Bean and Potato Salad with Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds small red new potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

Directions

1. Make pesto: In a blender, combine basil, garlic, lemon juice, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper; blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. Make salad: In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (reserve pan of water). When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes into quarters; place in a large bowl.
3. While potatoes are cooling, return reserved water to a boil. Add green beans; cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain well; transfer to bowl with potatoes.Add pesto, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Tomato, Avocado and Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 1 plum tomato
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 seedless cucumber
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper to season
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano
  

Directions
1. Dice avocado, tomato and cucumber and mix together in medium sized bowl.
2. Heat olive oil in small pan over medium high heat, and add garlic and cook just until golden brown. Off the heat, add oregano.
3. Add garlic, oregano and oil to tomato mixture, then add balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve room temperature or refrigerate till ready to serve.

Panzanella Salad

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
• 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained

For the vinaigrette:

nocoupons

• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.