favorite summer salads

Not re-inventing the wheel with either of these but they are both easy crowd pleasers and fed the army pictured below over the fourth at the lake. Either can be doubled (or tripled) for parties. Both pair well with grilled steak or chicken.

Roasted Carrot & Avocado w Pepitas

1 bunch carrots (rainbow if you can get em -  if it's a tiny bunch - use two)
1 avocado
1 container mixed greens
pepitas
olive oil
vinegar of your choice (I usually use balsamic but anything would work)
salt & pepper
feta (optional)

Wash, peel and slice carrots lengthwise into halves if thin and quarters if thick

Coat sliced carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 until starting to burn. Toss halfway through cooking time (about 40 minutes total). Take out of oven and set aside. (This step can be done in advance as carrots should be room temp when added to salad).

Add greens to a large bowl then diced avocado, carrots, pepitas and cheese if using. Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over everything then toss together until well combined.

Spinach & Strawberry w Almonds 

1 package spinach
half a box of strawberries, sliced
slivered almonds
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
goat cheese (optional)

Add spinach to a large bowl then strawberries, almonds and cheese if using. Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over everything then toss together until well combined.