Creating delicious, nutritious, and quenching foods right from our kitchen has never been easier… or more satisfying! Summer means that the days get longer, and the sun gives us more time for projects, adventures and sweet moments together as a family. Like everyone, our lives have downshifted significantly. With more time home together, we have found room for simplicity, in and amongst the complexities of this new normal.
And we couldn’t be happier to welcome the sweetness of summer! In the summer, my crew operates with a little more chill and brims with a constant, low-key excitement for new adventures to fill the long lit days.
It is time to get outside, and we are here for it!
Bring on those sweaty kid faces, sun-kissed cheeks and BIG appetites! Bring on fresh air and long picnics in the yard. Bring on the smell of fresh grass clippings and me asking my husband to pick up his golf bag (AHEM), again. Bring on long walks. Bring on the summer family memories!
And, bring on big appetites for quenching Summer Salads!
With crisp, bright flavors piled high on our plates, I teamed up with Florida’s Natural® Brand Lemonades to create a whole lot of summer magic at our own table. This summer will have a taste to remember, thanks to our homemade Florida’s Natural® Lemonade and Basil Salad Dressing!
HOW TO MAKE LEMONADE AND BASIL SALAD DRESSING
To get started, gather your favorite mixed greens. Heading to the local famer’s market is a must for my family to get that mix of greens we crush! In keeping with our goal of gaining life skills, the kids are in charge of selecting and then cleaning the veggies and fruits. I HAVE MY OWN LITTLE SOUS CHEFS!
Who knew?
You can use any of your favorite salad greens along with any and all of your favorite fruit. We are partial to fresh strawberries in our salads, but you could add blueberries or oranges or even watermelon.
Why not?
Toss your greens into a bowl, add your washed and sliced fruit and then top with shaved almonds and coconut. Finally, top with our delicious lemonade basil salad dressing.
To make our very special summer salad dressing, combine one cup of Florida’s Natural® Lemonade with three tablespoons of olive oil, two teaspoons of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of fresh basil. Using a food processor or blender, blend the ingredients until smooth.
It’s that simple!
If you are looking to make this a heartier meal, add some grilled chicken, fish or shrimp, and you have a quick and easy summer meal that everyone in the family will love.
If you’ve been a reader for awhile, then you know that we are hardcore loyal to Florida’s Natural® – whether we’re drinking orange juice or one of their deliciously flavored lemonades. (You can see all of our Florida’s Natural recipes here.)
I love Florida’s Natural® Brand Lemonades because they’re made from real ingredients – like real cane sugar. And they contain zero high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients or preservatives.
My family loves Florida’s Natural® Brand Lemonades because they come in six delicious flavors, including traditional Lemonade, Light Lemonade, Lemonade with Pomegranate, Lemonade with Strawberry, Lemonade Iced Tea, Lemonade with Raspberry & Peach, and Lemonade with Blackberry.
Yum!
Oh – and one other BIG reason to love Florida’s Natural® Brand Lemonades – 100% of the profits from lemonade purchases go directly to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which supports childhood cancer research.
This fresh and crisp salad will have you welcoming summer with open arms, while the tangy sweetness of the Lemonade Basil salad dressing will bring an extra ray of sunshine to your summer meals.
Ingredients
Scale
FOR THE SALAD
1 bag of mixed greens (or the salad greens of your choice)
The great thing about this salad is that you can throw together all of your favorite salad ingredients and toppings. For this recipe, we used mixed salad greens, sliced strawberries, shaved almonds and shaved coconut. You could use any type of lettuce you like and combine it with your favorite fresh fruit. You can omit the almonds and coconut altogether. You can even add grilled fish or chicken or shrimp to make it a more robust salad. It’s completely up to you!
To keep things super easy, simply combine all of our salad ingredients into one bowl. Easy Peasy.
FOR THE DRESSING
Combine all of the salad dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle over entire salad and enjoy!
[email protected] Hi, my name is Anna, and I'm here to share my stories, make you laugh and help you feel better about your crazy, messy, fabulous life. Learn more here.
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