There’s nothing like a crisp, refreshing salad on a hot summer day.
An array of colors, flavors, and textures that besieges your senses. The alluring hue of greens…the plump juiciness of the ripe contents that awakens your taste buds…it’s beckoning you…away from the oven, away to a land of instant gratification.
Quite a hedonistic meal some may say.
Especially when sweet grilled vegetables, salty feta cheese and dark lustrous black olives come together with the contrasting and enticing flavor of pine nuts.
You beg, you plead for the bowl to never end, but alas the end comes leaving you breathless yet content and satiated.
Until the next tryst. Perhaps an eclectic mix with rich tantalizing peach, soft nutty tempeh, and the distinctive flavor of aged Gouda?
You swoon at the sight.
Sometimes revisiting a familiar favorite can ignite that spark.
And as you submit to the dominant flavor of your topping of choice (ranch dressing and salsa), you relinquish yourself to another climaticΒ experience.
In the summer heat, you relish in the fact that tempeh always ready to go.
After adding a bit of barbecue sauce, you bite your lip as you gaze wantonly at the glorious masterpiece in front of you.
And just when you think you’ve experienced the height of all your senses…
Another one takes you prisoner, beseeching you with the sweet succulent flavors of blueberries, raw shredded beets, and the mind numbing combination of cranberry goat cheese and walnuts.
Again you are breathless…and at this point, also insatiable.
Or maybe it’s just me. Or MAYBE it’s because for the last week, I’ve been completely lost in the Fifty Shades trilogy…
Nah, that couldn’t be it!
Be sure to head on over and peep at all the other links over at Peas & Crayons…though you may be a bit disappointing in their G ratings! π
What salad toppings make you weak in the knees?
Fly to Kuwait and make me every single one of these salads please?! I’ll even pay for your flight & all the ingredients you need!!!
((Oh wait, ill have to pass on the Peach since I’m allergic))
Girl, don’t you want to make poetry your profession?? Songwriter (and maybe singer? Though I am still waiting for the Broccoli-KickAss-Bootcamp video)??
You are an artist, hands down. Each single one of these Powerbowls looks so pretty and delicious.
I wish I could buy Tempeh here, but the Swizzies haven’t discovered it yet, as all the rest. So I have to go for these toppings: Strawberries, Melon, dried fruit, caramelized almonds, dried antipasti tomatoes, all kind of raw veggies, chicken and ALWAYS a hardboiled egg.
Haha! Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about the video! Hmm, unfortunately I’m still at half squats, but hopefully another month and I’ll finally be able to full one…or sit indian-style…or kick my heel up to my butt…ugh, it’s so frustrating! I’m so close yet still SO far from doing what I want to do when it comes to my workouts!
Gah! Everything is so colorful and pretty… Are you secretly trying to tell me that I’ve been slacking on the salad front lately? Mine have been pretty basic… greens, cukes, tomatoes, carrots… I need to up the ante and start tossing avocado, mango, grilled chicken, and baked sweet potatoes back into my salads. Oh those were the days.
Can I live in your salad?
your salad makes me so sad that our property management told us we can’t have our grill anymore. π lame.
Your food always leaves me so hungry, Heather. I love the different combos in your salads of fruit, veggies, cheese and nuts. Om nom nom.
I love salads!! They are so versatile and there’s just so many combos that are possible!
Love your bowl as well! Ideal!
Giiiirl, you have the best salads.
Heather you have made me incredibly hungry now! I saw that bowl at a store the other day(can’t remember where now…) I should get one for my salads. I make huge ones, too. Have a great day!!
I got mine at Big Lots! I went back the other day to see if they had anymore, but sadly they were all gone! π Fingers crossed nothing ever happens to this one…I’d for sure shed some tears! Haha!
I throw all kinds of stuff on my salads. I love sunflower seeds, walnuts, and goat or feta cheese, yum!!
Where do you find all of these amazing bowls and serving utensils??!! I seriously am so jealous by all of your awesome dishware. Oh, and of your salads as well of course π
That one with temeph looks incredible and I don’t even like tempeh π
Haha! I find them in all sorts of places, but I do (or have done…kinda had to cut myself off for a while since the cabinets are about to burst!) a lot of my dishware shopping at TJ Maxx and Goodwill! This serving bowl was a surprise score from Big Lots…along with a “mug” and a “bowl” which I absolutely love!!
And I just want you to know that I’m totally brushing my fingertips against my chest right now over that tempeh comment! Haha! I love the nutty taste of it and I think it pairs perfectly with BBQ seasoning/sauces!
Holy salads Batman! Such a fun summer food…lately, my salad musts are roasted or baked sweet potato chunks and goat cheese.
Holy delicious…I don’t know what’s better, your amazing descriptive writing or your photography. You should probably write a book! LOL
How are raw beets? I just got some from my CSA and I want to try em out!
Raw beets are actually pretty tasty…especially with goat cheese, but well, I guess ANYTHING with goat cheese is delicious! But seriously, they have more of the earthy and less of the sweet taste when you compare them to cooked ones, but I still love the flavor…AND I’m incredibly lazy and forgetful so it’s nice to be able to eat them without having to remember to roast them for nearly an hour! π
Shit woman. You certainly are absorbing 50 Shades. Haha
And we are totally on the same track. Bc I went to the store yesterday and bought a ton of stuff just for salads! And have eaten one for dinner then one for lunch today. So. Damn. Good.
Myyyyyyy dear lord. Heather, you have such a special talent for…. well, obviously meal creations…. but also for writing. You have the most uplifting, entertaining and comforting talent for words. You always start my day with a laugh and a smile (as well as an exploding “to make” list and a roaring belly). You have so much to offer outside of anything to do with food! Thank you for the smiles!
Oh my gosh, thank you SO MUCH, Cora!!! This is one of the sweetest comments I’ve ever received!! I know I’m (seriously) late responding to this, but I just want you to know that you TOTALLY just made my night…er, day? Ok, so it’s nearly 4am and I’m a little confused, but at least I can still comprehend sentences, right? Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! xoxox
How in the world do you make your salads look so darn delicious and pretty? You make me want to dive into every single bowl! And don’t you love topping salads with bbq sauce? It is my new favorite thing!
Tantalizing Post. Those Salads get me every time π
Haha thanks for making me drool over salad!!
I love topping my salads with blue cheese or seeds π
HOLY COW! All of those bowls look delicious! Gorgeous photos!
I love that you have okra on your salad!! π I have been craving salads lately!
I need to go shopping for more awesome salad ingredients; specifically olives π
Woman! I love you! Will you marry me please? Oh wait, I’m already um taken, shall we say. I love this post, I love the Instagram collage, I love the writing, I love the 50 shades…have I mentioned I love this already? Seriously, this might be one of my favorites…top 5 for sure.
Tonight, I am going to dream of peaches with the red onions, the black olives with the gouda, the blueberries with the cranberry goat cheese, and all the naughty talk. Damn, woman! You are really good.
WELLLLLLLLLL!!! Coming from the Queen of fresh CSA fruit and veggie porn, I have to say I’m completely flattered!! π I have to say I was channeling you a bit each and every time I reached for that
saladserving bowl! xoxoxTopping a salad with roasted veggies makes me swoon. π
WOW! I wish I could have one of your salads for dinner – they looks ridiculously delicious! YUM!
For me, summer = salads. Now if only I had your adorable bowl and salad displaying skills…
Oh my goodness every single one of those salads are making my mouth water! They all look delicious
Haha, love the 50 Shades references! Glad you’re enjoying it, it’s addicting!! Your salads look mouth-watering too!!
My favorite salad toppings have been feta & watermelon lately. Mmm… π
Some one should pay you to write food porn. I have to go take a cold shower now.
I’m loving all these salads – especially the first one! I love all the Mediterranean flavours in it. And let’s be honest, any salad involving feta is bound to be amazing.
Some of my favourite salad toppings (not necessarily together) are feta cheese (duh), goat cheese, roasted sweet potato or squash, beets, toasted almonds, dried figs, avocado, and hummus!
Are you serious right now?! You just made salads look ah-mazing! I mean, I like salads and all, but you made them look like art! These are beautiful, friend!
Yummalicious!!! Salads and smoothies are so perfect for summertime!
Oh my goodness.
GIMME!
x
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