Balsamic Mozzarella and Fresh Summer Salad

It is FINALLY my favorite season.

Bachelor season.

Now ladies, you all know what I am talking about.  Nothing is better than getting together with your girlfriends, drinking some wine and eating super yummy apps.  Oh, and making commentary every other 5 seconds on the crazy girls, the obnoxious boys, and the awkward, serious stares out into the field that ABC makes the Bachelor/Bachelorette do while introducing them.

C'mon you all know you can relate.

Anyways, the new season of the Bachelorette just began and my girlfriends and I have already started our "Bachelor nights".  Last Monday, my girlfriend made this super amazing salad and I just had to put it on my blog.  It is so so so good, light and refreshing. It is the perfect thing to eat along side any meal or even as your meal.  It is sweet from the strawberries, crunchy from the cucumber, and is bright and full of color.  Oh, and the fresh mozzarella on top is TO DIE FOR.  I promise this salad will be a hit at your next dinner party, we couldn't stop talking about it and we even made it for dinner the next day.  Everyone will LOVE it.

So, there ya have it. Now you have the perfect excuse to make this crispy summer salad.  Next Monday night, right before you are about to watch Emily take on her pretty boys, make sure this gorgeous salad is on your plate!

Ingredients:

1 container soft mozzarella in water, drained and cubed

1 TBS fresh basil, chopped

1 package favorite Italian season dressing

Balsamic vinegar

1 box Spring salad mix (I used 3/4 of the box, you could also do 2 bags of salad mix)
10 romaine leaves, chopped
1 English cucumber, halved and sliced
1 container mini yellow cherry heirloom tomatoes, halved
1 container red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bag sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 container strawberries, thinly sliced
Your favorite dressing (we ate a sweet basil dressing with this but Italian dressing would be great too!)

Directions:
A couple hours before you make the salad, take out mozzarella and chop into small pieces.  Put in small bowl.  Chop 1-2 TBS of basil and mix in bowl with cheese.  Make Italian dressing according to package- except when it calls for red wine vinegar, use balsamic vinegar instead.  Pour over mozzarella and basil.  Mix to combine and refrigerate until ready to serve so the dressing marinates the cheese.

When ready to serve salad, rinse Spring salad mix and romaine leaves.  Pat dry and put in large serving bowl.

Wash and cut veggies and fruit according to instructions above.

Add to salad as show in first picture.

When ready to serve, take out bowl of mozzarella marinating in dressing and put along side the salad, so people can plop a few (or a lot) of pieces on top of their salads.  Pour over your favorite dressing and wah-lah!  The perfect salad! Now go turn on ABC and watch the battle for the rose begin!

Grilled Corn Summer Salad

Grilled corn is probably one my favorite summer foods, let alone, foods out there.  It is crisp, sweet, and crunchy and even off the cob, is so so good! This summer salad is as fresh as it gets and is the perfect accompaniment to any summer meal.  With the gorgeous colors and flavors, this will be a winner on your dinner table.

With all of it's veggies, it is the perfect, healthy side dish to eat when trying to stay fit during those bikini months.  Believe me, if you make this, you will be going back for seconds, thirds, and maybe even fourths and you won't even have to feel bad at all about it.  :) Happy summer!

Ingredients:
4 ears of corn, husked and grilled
1 english cucumber, diced
1 container of grape tomatoes, halved
1 container of yellow heirloom tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, chopped
1/2 small red onion, diced

Dressing:
4 limes, juiced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Turn grill on high.  Place husked corn on grill and grill to your liking.  Set aside and cool.

Cut and chop all of the vegetables and place in a large bowl.  (Squeeze lemon juice- if you have any- over chopped avocados to keep from browning before adding to bowl).  Carefully cut corn kernels off of the cob. Add to bowl.

Mix and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Right before serving, combine lime juice, cumin, and hot sauce.

Pour desired amount of dressing on top of serving.  I do this so each person can control how much dressing they want.  It honestly tastes delicious without any dressing too!