Valentine's Day Recipes - Salads With Red Ingredients

Maren brings you rare or fun recipes and news of funky, out-of-the-way places to dine or buy treats. She is a teacher, mom, and foodie.

Yummy, Simple Salad

Valentine Theme For Your Romantic Dinner At Home

Following are 3 simple salad ideas which use a touch of red color for Valentine's Day.

1. Green And Red Potato Salad

A simple baked red potato adds both color and interesting flavor to this salad. Potatoes have wonderful flavor on their own, but we often hide it with butter and salt or with mayonnaise and eggs in a cold summer potato salad.

This recipe allows the potato to shine without disguise.

Cook Time

Ingredients: Green and Red Potato Salad

• 2 cups mixed greens, with radicchio or red bits
• 1 red potato, baked and cooled
• 2 Tablespoons salad dressing of choice, optional

Green and Red Potato Salad Ingredients

Steps

Steps To Make Green And Red Potato Salad

1. It is best to do this step a few hours or a day ahead of time. Wash the potato and prick it in 3 places with a fork or knife. Bake it -- either in an oven at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or in a microwave oven on high for 4 minutes. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator.

2. Measure the salad greens and spread on plate.

3. Chop the cooled potato into chunks, having abit of the red outer skin on each chunk.

4. Place the potato chunks evenly and artistically over the greens.

5. If desired, drizzle with a RED salad dressing of your choice.

2. Strawberry-Green Salad

I had a version of this at a January potluck supper and had to try it at home. Everyone at that supper was amazed at how great this sweet salad is, and we enjoyed eating strawberries in the middle of our cold winter.

Strawberries work in a green salad

Cook Time

Prep Time: 5 min Ready in: 5 min

Yields: Makes one side salad for 1 person

Ingredients: Stawberry-Green Salad

• 1 cup salad greens, such as romaine or iceberg lettuce
• 4 or more strawberries, halved
• 1-2 Tablespoons raspberry vinaigrette or dressing

Strawberry-Green Salad Ingredients

Steps To Make Strawberry-Green Salad

Unlike the prior recipe which called for a greens mix which included some red-colored lettuces, this salad calls for pure green greens. This sets off the brilliant red of the strawberries.

1. Wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Cut in half so that you have 2 identical pieces.

2. Measure the greens and place on plate.

3. Place strawberry halves around the plate with the cut side down.

4. Drizzle with the sweet raspberry dressing.

As with the potato recipe, if you find a soft or tiny rotten spot on a strawberry, cut it out and toos into the garbage bowl.

3. Extra Cherries Fruit Salad

When I was little, both at school and at home I would be served fruit cocktail from a can. This contained white grapes, chopped peaches and pears, and sparce maraschino cherry halves. My siblings and I always valued the cherries for their lively color and their super-sweet flavor. This preference was so heated that my mother probably had to count the cherries as she served us to keeo things "fair." Even so, one could only expect one measley half per bowl of fruit cocktail.

Now I am re-creating the old fruit cocktail. P.S. - it has plenty of maraschino cherries!

Cook Time

Prep time: 6 min Ready in: 6 min

Yields: Makes 4 side salads

Ingredients: Extra Cherries Fruit salad

• 1 15-ounce can pear slices
• 1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries
• 1 15-ounce can large chunk mixed fruit (I use tropical fruit)

Extra Cherries Fruit Salad Ingredients

Steps To Make Extra Cherries Fruit Salad

1. Wipe any dust or dirt from the top of the cans, then open.

2. Place about 3 to 5 pear slices on each plate. Position them evenly around.

3. Put 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the other fruit chunks over the pears. Use enough to fill the plate.

4. Carefully and joyfully place maraschino cherries evenly on top of the fruits. Use at least 5 cherries per plate.

Easy and Tasty Fruit Salad

Simple, Creative Salads For Your Loved Ones

As you can tell, these are 3 ridiculously easy-to make salads. They are eye-appealing and taste wonderful. Please let me know which one you used.

© 2013 Maren Elizabeth Morgan

Comments

Maren Elizabeth Morgan (author) from Pennsylvania on February 04, 2013:

Natashalh - that is not silly at all. It had not occurred to me either, but somehow the idea popped into my head and I absolutely love the taste sensation. Thanks for your comment.

Natasha from Hawaii on February 04, 2013:

It may sound silly, but I've literally never thought to put potatoes on a lettuce salad. Thanks for giving me the idea!

Maren Elizabeth Morgan (author) from Pennsylvania on January 30, 2013:

Sushma, have i told you recently that i wuv you? Thanks for sharing my hub!

Sushma Webber from New Zealand on January 30, 2013:

I am going to share this article on Facebook too, since Valentine's Day is just round the corner.

Maren Elizabeth Morgan (author) from Pennsylvania on January 30, 2013:

Thanks, Sushma! I didn't think about it, but I guess they are vegan. :)

Sushma Webber from New Zealand on January 30, 2013:

Hi Maren, love your Valentine day salad recipes. I am vegetarian going vegan and this was very helpful. I will add a link to this article on my Vegan Recipe Guide hub.