3 Delicious Summer Salads With Protein That Make A Meal
Americans are obsessed with the need to get protein in their diets, according to a recent article in the John Hopkins Journal. But the message should be “Diversify your protein sources and eat more fiber-rich foods—which many Americans don’t get enough of.”
My doctor advises us to incorporate healthy plant based protein into our diet (not just meat and cheese) to help with muscle loss as we age.
For my Sunday Faves with Annie and Cindy, I’m sharing the Lemony White Bean Salad that I made for our July 3rd party and two other hearty salads, an outfit of the week on sale and the book I just finished.
Lemony White Bean Salad
For a side dish, I tripled the recipe below for our July 3rd party with 26 guests. The original recipe by Anna Theoktisto was published in the July 2026 issue of Food & Wine .
Make Ahead: Bean salad can be prepared through step 1 and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Then, proceed with step 2 just before serving.
Lemony White Bean And Arugula Salad
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced ( about 1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice about two lemons
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced about 1 cup
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled about 1 cup
- 3 cups baby arugula
- chopped smoked almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Stir together shallot, lemon zest and juice and Dijon mustard in a large bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in beans, celery, oil, dill, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper until beans are well coated. Fold in feta.
- Add arugula to platter and arrange bean mixture on top. Garnish with chopped smoked almonds and additional dill. (I used some sage from our garden for garnish).
Chopped Greek Salad With Chickpeas
Here is a similar delicious salad with protein.
Chopped Greek Salad With Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved, or cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced and cut in half
- 2/3 cup kalamata pitted olives
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain and rinse chickpeas and prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. Add them to the salad bowl.
- Drizzle the olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and dried oregano over the salad and gently toss to combine
- Enjoy immediately or leave for 10 – 15 minutes to let the ingredients marinate.
Tuna Salad with Fish Wife Tinned Seafood Company
I knew our family would be excited about the gifts I received from Fish Wife as we love fish for salads and for fish dip appetizers. When my daughter, Alexandra saw the cute packaging she said, “the woman who owns the company lives in my neighborhood in L.A.!”
Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger Salad
Alexandra made a nice lunch with and Asian twist for us using:
- the Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger
- Arugula
- Sliced Avocado
- Grape Tomatoes
- Pickled Red Onions (which are simply sliced red onions in red wine vinegar that we keep in the fridge).
- She sprinkled it with a few sesame seeds, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.
What To Wear – Loose and Light For Summer
I saw this outfit on Cindy’s blog and used her links to order it…
Embroidered Palazzo Pant, Split Neck Matching Blouse (both 50% off at Ann Taylor) • Quince platform flipflops
What To Read
“A Woman Is No Man” by Etaf Rum
“The New York Times bestseller pick telling the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community.”
I have to say it opens your eyes to an unknown world. It’s shocking and sad and somehow uplifting. If you’ve read it, please tell me in the comments what you thought about the ending.
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Let’s see what my friends have discovered this week:
The Lemony White Bean and Arugula salad looks like a great recipe that my husband and I would like. I don’t see the amount of anchovies in the recipe ingredients but I’ll guess at it as I bet they add some salty goodness.
Extremely hot here in the Midwest and our 4th of July survived even with rain in the area. I just wish the fireworks weren’t so loud..gee did I just age myself? ha! The “booms” are what get me…lol.
You girls look lovely and yes you should frame that one!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
Lori, I forgot that I didn’t add that since I’m not crazy about anchovies but Howard likes them. It’s HOT here too.
Lovely picture of you and the Pickett girls! So nice to be coordinated and festive in each of your own styles. You need to frame that picture! Both salads look delicious and I will make them. I have never been disappointed by the recipes from your blog that I have tried. Adding the book to my to be read list. It sounds emotionally impactful. Have a wonderful week.
Thanks! We had a little of the Lemony bean salad for lunch the day after too!!