Mayonnaise in salad may be the potluck classic, but somehow I missed out on it growing up (along with soda, chips, and prepackaged cookies). Actually, I avoided mayo at all costs until it found its way into my favor somehow in the last year.
I've moved away from green salads in Peru because lettuce is such a pill to wash and dry. Lucky for me, there are millions of more-delicious lettuce-free salads out there! Here are two mayonnaise dressing salads that I am loving these days, plus two other lettuce-free (fruit) salads.
1. Carrot-raisin salad
I tried this recipe but thought it was too bland, so I added ingredients until it tasted good. My variation is basically a couple of cups of shredded carrot, a handful of chopped raisins (I only like them in small bits), a chopped green apple, 1/4 to 1/2 c chopped toasted almonds, "enough" mayonnaise, a spoonful of honey, copious pepper, and juice from one or two limes. Tasty.
2. Broccoli salad
This is one of the tastiest things I've eaten in a while, and I'm pretty sure it's the bacon! The one problem with this guy is that the dressing is a little runny. I'll manage. Make sure not to overcook the broccoli.
3. Chili-lime fruit salad
Fresh fruit has become a major part of my diet here, and while plain usually works just fine, sometimes it's nice to spice it up a little. I've done mayo-yogurt dressing before with great success, but I was looking for something new recently. This chili-lime "dressing" is delicious, and it gives the salad just enough tang to be a serious part of the meal and not just fruit on the side.
Yesterday we had this salad with orange, mango, and peach (very orange!) but I accidently put WAY too much cayenne on it. Tim was dying. Today we had it with mango, strawberry, grapes, and just the slightest hint of spice. Perfect.
4. Watermelon salad
We eat so much watermelon here that I had to find a way to make it grown-up for special occasions. This is a surprising and fun alternative to plain. The mint leaves are pretty, but I don't think they're necessary.
