3 Super Simple Summer Side Dish Recipes

 

Simple summer recipes
Farmer’s Market

Summer is by far my favorite season for eating! I love going to the local farmer’s markets throughout the week and using the fresh produce and herbs to make delicious side dishes that will last us for at least a week. These are my three go-to, super simple, yummy side dishes to just keep in the fridge for your family or to take to that summer party. I use all three of these all summer long and love the simplicity for when we are home, at the lake, or just going on a picnic.

Tomato, Cucumber, Red Onion Salad

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

2/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaf

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together the cucumbers, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let stand at room temperature for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, onion, basil, and oil to cucumbers and toss to blend. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

I am a sucker for red wine vinegar so I absolutely love this recipe! Sometimes when I am in a hurry I don’t take the seeds out of the cucumber or tomatoes, and it tastes pretty much the exact same!

summer side dish recipes
Yummy garden fresh tomatoes!

Blueberry, Watermelon, Feta, And Mint Salad

Ingredients:

2 ounces of olive oil

1 ounce balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup finely diced red onion (optional)

8 cups diced watermelon

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup rough chopped mint leaves

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or more if you like!)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and diced red onion.

Add the diced watermelon, blueberries, mint, and feta cheese to bowl. Gently toss to coat.

My whole family loves this summer staple in our fridge! My kids really dislike onion so I opt to leave the diced red onion out for them but if you would prefer it with the onion this salad is delicious either way!

super simple summer recipes
Farmer’s market blueberries are the best!

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Salami Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

fresh cilantro

fresh basil

2 cloves of fresh pressed garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

dash of salt

1 can of whole or sliced olives (depending on your preference, my husband likes the whole olives)

1/2 pound of salami sliced or diced

1 pint of cherry/grape tomatoes

1/2 cup of diced red onion

1 package of fresh mozzarella pearls

Instructions:

Mix together olive oil, cilantro, basil, garlic, pepper, & salt and let sit

Prepare tomatoes, olives, salami, and onion

Mix vegetables and salami together with mozzarella

Drizzle olive oil dressing over everything

This is by far my husbands favorite and when I make it he is constantly getting in the fridge to snack on it! It is so yummy and perfect for summer out on the boat or put in a Tupperware and taken to the park!

super simple summer recipes
Basil is my favorite in any summer salad!

Each of these recipes takes less than 30 minutes to make and can be comprised of almost all things bought at the farmers market, which is gold in my book! You can add in ingredients of your choosing or delete some for your families own preference.  Wishing you all a fun, super-simple, and family memory making summer!

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katyjohnson
I was born and raised in Edmond, OK and after high school I attended NSU in Tahlequah where I majored in broadcast journalism. I met my husband Will while in school and we moved to his home town of Tulsa to begin our family where we resided for 8 years. We were relocated back to OKC about 3 years ago and while I really miss my Tulsa friends, I absolutely LOVE being home. We have 3 crazy, super loud, extremely fun kiddos ages 8, 6, and 4. My kids are my everything and I could have never anticipated the roller coaster of chaos that is my life now. We live on 5 acres in Guthrie and I am terrified and also very excited for this next chapter in our lives. My favorite things are spending time with family & friends, music, going to the lake, reading, gardening, cherry blow pops, Dr. pepper, crafting, cleaning, and fireworks. We are trying to raise our kids to be kind, loving, respectful human beings and to truly understand that no two humans are the same and to love people for who they are. I am very excited to share my sweet yet crazy family with you and connect with other moms!

2 COMMENTS

  1. This look great– so fresh and bright. And I have to admit I’m a little jealous seeing your famer’s market picture. We don’t have that here! thanks for the summer recipes! (I got the link to your blog on Lacey’s blog– fun to find you!).

    • Thank you so much Rhonda! I actually already have 2 of the 3 recipes in my fridge! Let me know what you think if you try any of the recipes and thank you so much for reading & commenting!

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