need a good cold salad recipe

[spindle92]

anyone have a tried true one that they love and that can sit out at a BBQ for a little while?

I usually do a tuna noodle salad with peas but having Tuna sit out for awhile does not sound like a good idea.

Help a girl out please!

[SwimDeep]

My favorite cold salad is a Mediterranean spin on potato salad. No mayo, just a light, red-wine vinegar based vinaigrette. I can post the link to the recipe if that sounds interesting.

I also love a good pasta salad. My favorite is orzo pasta with kalamata olives, feta, red onion (or shallots), beautiful sweet grape tomatoes (channeling the Barefoot Contessa here, lol), and dressed a nice light vinaigrette. Oh, and Basil! Or mint, depending on your herbal preference. But a fresh herb brings it to life.

[neonpink]

My go to is a chickpea salad.
chickpeas, sliced grape tomatoes, feta cheese, diced red onion, and diced green pepper. All thrown in a bowl add salt and pepper, dried italian seasoning and (I prefer) Store brand red vinegar and a bit of olive oil. I don't know how much red vinegar I use, just enough to taste it but not overwelm it.

I've made this before and it has always gone over well.

Wagon Wheel Taco Pasta Salad
1lb wagon wheel pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn (I don't even bother thawing it, because I always make this at least a few hours before serving, so it plenty of time to defrost)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
8oz shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, diced

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, stir in the diced avocado.

[udscoobychick]

I'll second the wagon wheel pasta salad...always a big hit. I usually leave out all but 1-2 Tbl of the olive oil and just add the lime juice, garlic, cumin, and chili powder to the salsa...this works if you have a saucier salsa, rather than a chunkier salsa. I sometimes throw some diced bell pepper in there, too, and I have added cooked, diced chicken when I wanted it to be a meal. Our blue and gold macaw goes nuts for the pasta salad lol, although I have to make it without avocado for him, since they're poisonous to birds.