Fast and Tasty Summer Salads

Let’s talk about summer salads! I’m fortunate enough to have a relationship with President’s Choice, and if you’ve been around here for a while (or follow me on Instagram/Facebook) you know  that they occasionally send me their products to try (which is like, crazy awesome if you ask me!). Anyway, back in May they sent me a big fat cooler bag filled with products to try, as well as a gift card to pick up some refrigerator items.  I’ve been Instagramming everything as I go along but also put together a few recipes for you using some of the products I received/purchased.  And so I give you:

Both of these recipes come together very quickly, and are a far cry better than those “in a bag” salads you get at the grocery store!

Raspberry Balsamic Spinach Salad with Strawberries

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp President’s Choice Raspberry Syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 4 cups President’s Choice Organic Baby Spinach
• 10 Fresh Strawberries, sliced
• Crumbled Feta Cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Put washed spinach, sliced strawberries and crumbled feta in a large bowl.
• In a small air-tight container combine raspberry syrup, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Secure the top and shake to combine.
• Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat
• Serve immediately

The sweetness from the strawberries and the raspberry syrup combined with the saltiness from the feta and the acidic taste of the vinegar really fires up your taste buds.  This is one of my favourite combinations for sure!

Tortellini and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

I remember prior to making this I wondered, “Will I be ruining a package of fresh tortellini trying to make it into a pasta salad?” The answer is most definitely, “No.”

Ingredients:

• 1 package of fresh tortellini (I used cheese)
• 5 President’s Choice Sun Dried Tomatoes in Seasoned Oil, sliced
• 2 cups of President’s Choice Organic Baby Spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• Any other veggies of your choice (I used red pepper, red onion, and grape tomatoes) sliced into bite sized pieces
• Cheddar cheese and bacon to top (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

• Cook the tortellini per the package instructions
• Meanwhile in a large bowl combine spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and all other veggies.
• In an airtight container mix the honey, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.  Secure the lid and shake to combine.  Pour dressing over the veggies and toss.
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain and then submerge in cool water  for a few seconds to cool the pasta, then add to the veggie/dressing mixture and toss to coat all of the pasta in the dressing.
• Top with shredded cheese and bacon (optional)

In full disclosure, when making my dressings I never measure the ingredients.  I know the ratio should be 1 part fat to 2 parts acid to 3 parts sugar so I just eye-ball it.  Having said that, if you make your salad (and this applies to both recipes) and feel like you have too much or too little dressing by all means adjust the recipe to suit your needs/tastes.  In the same regard I really don’t measure my vegetables when cooking either, I just keep adding until I think it “looks good” and would encourage you to do the same.

I really believe experimenting in the kitchen is the best way to cook, assuming you have some basic knowledge of how recipes come together.

I hope you enjoy these recipes, please let me know if you give them a try!

Disclosure:  In case you missed it above, I was compensated by President’s Choice via free product for this post.  The recipes and words above are 100% my own!