Description: Easy salads that you can prepare for family barbecues or picnics.

Salads are a great accompaniment to any summer picnic or barbecue. Everyone has their favorite. I personally love Taco Salad, my daughter’s favorite is Pea Salad.

Here are some easy salad recipes you can prepare for your family or take to your next family get-together. Keep an open mind about the Broccoli Salad recipe and give it a try. It is delicious!

Taco Salad
1/2 onion, chopped
3 tomatoes
1 head lettuce
4 oz. cheese, grated
8 oz. Thousand Island dressing
Taco Sauce to taste
1 bag tortilla chips
1 lg. avocado, opt.
1 lb. ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1/4 t. salt

Chop onion, tomatoes, and lettuce. Toss with cheese, dressing and taco sauce. Crunch and add chips. Brown meat, add kidney beans, salt and simmer 10 minutes and mix into cold salad. Serve immediately (or prepare ahead of time and add cheese and chips right before serving).

Three Bean Salad
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can wax beans
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Drain beans. Heat remaining ingredients in a saucepan until heated through. Pour over beans and refrigerate before serving.

Picnic Coleslaw
6 c. shredded cabbage
2 c. shredded carrots
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
12 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. vinegar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Combine cabbage, carrots, bacon, and onion. In a jar mix vinegar, sugar, salt, and shake well. Just before serving, pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss.

Macaroni Salad

1 lb. salad macaroni
12 med. green onions, sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 c. thinly sliced celery
12 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
1 c. dill pickles, chopped
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. horseradish
1 tbsp. dill pickle juice
Salt and pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions and drain well. Rinse and drain again. Place macaroni into large bowl. Add onion, eggs, celery, and pickle. Blend together the mayonnaise, horseradish, mustard, and pickle juice. Stir into macaroni mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 4-6 hours.

Broccoli Salad
1 bunch broccoli, cut in tiny flowers
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. red onion
1/4 c. pecans (or walnuts, or sunflower seeds)
1/4 c. bacon bits
1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. vinegar

Mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar. Add bacon bits and other ingredients and mix. Chill for a few hours.

Pea Salad

2 bags frozen peas
1 block cheddar cheese (cubed or shredded)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch green onions
1 pkg. bacon cut into small pieces and fried

Keep peas frozen until ready to use. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill and serve.

Five Cup Salad
1 c. sour cream
1 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. coconut
1 c. pineapple
1 c. mandarin oranges

Mix together and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

I am by no means a cook. I don’t even like the kitchen. LOL But hey, we gotta eat. I love the products by companies like Morning Star Farms, Gardenburger (love their meatballs with some sweet and sour sauce!) and Boca because they’re so easy to use. I found this recipe on the MSF website that I’d like to try.