Salad Days - Easy Side Dishes For Outdoor Meals

With the warm weather comes the urge to grill and eat outdoors. Remember that this is easy cuisine at it's best. Meats and veggies just have to be soaked in marinade and slapped on the grill. The same is true for side dishes, Don't knock yourself on hot days, creating elaborate salad dishes. Keep the sides as easy as the main meals.

Macaroni salad is a big draw during these hot days. Most people take cooked elbow macaroni and mix it with mayo, chopped celery and onions. Although this standard is good, you can liven it up a bit. For one thing substitute the elbow macaroni with tricolor rotelli and add garlic to the mayo. This creates a flavorful aoli that goes well with grilled red meats.Another spin is ditch the mayonnaise completely and just coat the pasta with olive oil. Toss in some oregano , fresh ground pepper and sea salt for a lighter, more Mediterranean flavor. Another great salad for barbecues is one made of artichoke hearts. You can buy jars or cans of them at your local supermarket. Combine them with mixed greens or let them be the main ingredient Add peppers and sun dried tomatoes for a truly unique taste.

Potato salads always figure in at any outdoor barbecue. There's the traditional German style with red potatoes, mayo,hard boiled eggs and diced onions. This is the easiest to make and it can have variations such as olives added or even bacon bits. You can also create a Sicilian version that requires olive oil and anchovies along with lemon juice and parsley. Potato salads can also be served hot as well. These can be a bit more complicated with cooking them along with adding flour to thicken the salad.

This barbecue season make the whole meal a snap to create. Start with easy grilling and bring in 1-2-3 salads that are simple to make. These are not only quick but tasty - perfect for your outdoor meals!

Rotelli salad

1 pound rotelli
1/4 to 1/2 cup light virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/3 cup broccoli.
Black olives optional

Cook rotelli according to directions on box. Let cool. Add oil and vinegar along with garlic, tomatoes and broccoli. Add olives if you want.Toss. Keep chilled for an hour or two or serve fresh,