Summer Salad Recipe with Broccoli, Goat Cheese, Strawberries
A salad is a “menu-must” when preparing a large family-style meal. A salad is a great menu item to sign up for when making food for a large crowd because they take little prep and are relatively cheap to make. This mixed green salad with shaved broccoli is our favorite thing to serve at “FAM” dinner. Here is everything you’ll need to make it how we like it + 2 easy homemade dressings that go perfectly!
FAM Dinner: Our Version of Supper Club
Every Sunday we host a Family Style dinner with our friends that live in our neighborhood. We have many talented home cooks in the “FAM” so it’s really a fun day for everyone to collaborate on a dinner idea and contribute by making something they are good at.
This is exactly why I love food; it brings people together in a fun and creative way!
Goat Cheese and Strawberry Salad
Our normal number of Fam Dinner attendees range from 6-12 people. We have a few guys that love to prepare the proteins and mix up the marinades. A few of the ladies are experts at side dishes and get their inspirations from Pinterest, Chrissy Teigen or most often, recipes that we have learned from our mothers or grandmothers. We also have some amazing bakers in the group that we always count on to make decadent brownies or cutesy cupcakes. Everyone plays their part even if they aren’t into cooking… Paper plates, loads of wine, and compliments to the chef are all essential in rounding out a great community-style meal.
What You’ll Need for the Broccoli Crunch Salad (Dressing recipe below)
2 Bags of Mixed Greens
Crumbled Goat Cheese (option: sub feta cheese)
Green Onions (scallions)
Strawberries or Apples\
1 package of Ramen noodles (uncooked) or Slivered almonds for a lower carb option (bake at 10 minutes at 350 degrees with a little butter)
-Smash noodles inside of bag and pour into sauce pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and cook until brown and crispy
Head of (raw) broccoli
-With your knife, shave the ends of the broccoli off of the head. This way you’ll have smaller pieces with every bite!
Broccoli Crunch Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This is a great universal salad that can stand alone or compliment any main course
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 glove garlic
- 1 tbsp Dijon or Whole Grain Mustard
- 1 tsp thyme
- Juice of half a lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients except olive oil into a blender and begin blending
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Slowly add olive oil into the top opening of your blender container until everything is combined
Southern Source Side Note:
If you don’t have everything to make this dressing, a simple lemon Vinaigrette tastes great too! Juice 1 whole lemon, add salt and pepper and whisk in ½ cup olive oil.
Family Style Dinner Ideas
I have big plans to continue sharing recipes from our family dinners. Here are a few things that we love to make:
- Smoked Chicken with Alabama White BBQ sauce (friend’s original recipe!)
- Kale Ceasar with fried chickpeas
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Rosemary Butter
- Pan Seared Chicken with White Wine Butter Sauce
- Homemade Chicken Fingers
- Smoked Ribs with Collard Greens
- Chili with Jalapeno Cornbread muffins
- Southwestern Burgers with Guacamole
What sounds good? Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see on the blog next!
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