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My mom’s side of the family gets together every Fourth of July for a family reunion. Each year, we meet up at our cousins’ lake house for some totally classic Independence Day activities. The lake community holds an egg toss competition, turtle race and a talent show when the sun goes down, no less.
One of my favorite aspects of the day, other than hanging out with some of my favorite people, is the potluck spread inside the cabin. Everyone brings something to share. Potluck dishes cover the table and overflow onto the kitchen island. I fill my plate with homemade salads and find some room for potato chips—it’s the one day a year that I gorge myself on potato chips. America!
This year, my family is headed East to my cousin’s wedding in Florida, and I’m going South for my best friend’s wedding shower (I’m the maid of honor). I’m already feeling sentimental about the lake, so here are twenty fresh, healthy, potluck-appropriate recipes to bookmark for the summer.
1) Simple Seedy Slaw
Vegan and gluten free
“Made this for our super bowl party and it was a big hit, especially for my son who dislikes mayonnaise. I didn’t change a thing on the recipe and it was really good! Thank you!” – Leslie
2) Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Quinoa Salad
Vegan and gluten free
“Just made this for a family BBQ and it’s so tasty I might not share it. Thank you so much for creating this (and sharing it)!” – Rachel
3) Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Radish and Herbs
Vegan and gluten free
“Hi again! Thanks so much for this one! I made it for my husband and I and we loved it so much we made it for a recent housewarming and everyone went wild… Sent this one to a few guests who had requested a copy! Thanks!” — Krystal
4) Herbed Red Potato Salad (no mayo!)
Vegan and gluten free
“Great recipe! It appeared on the Huffington Post yesterday, so thought I’d give it a whirl today. My husband and I are impressed with the results! We are not mayo people and are happy to have this flavorful option. I think our dinner guests tonight will be quite happy, as well (if there is any left for them!). The bonus tip of cutting the potatoes up before boiling was a great tip with perfect results! Thank you so much.” – Elaine
5) Greek Broccoli Salad
Easily vegan and gluten free
“I love this salad! The first time I made it, I will say the strong lemon scent of the dressing made me nervous, but it is delicious! I’ve made it 3 or 4 times since. It’s great to make for company: it looks fancy, but is quick to make and put together ahead of time.” – Stacy
6)
Vegan
“This is one of my favorite dishes of all time, and is now a staple in our house since I found it about a year ago. Even my 10 year old likes it!! Just saw your brussel sprout & peanut soba noodle slaw recipes. Can’t wait to try them out!” — Kristen
7) Green Goddess Hummus
Vegan and gluten free
“My grocery store didn’t have tarragon so I used basil instead. Soooooo good! Thanks for the recipe.” – Nes
8) Greek Chickpea Salad
Vegan and gluten free
“I’ve just eaten the whole bowl of it.. Delicious!” — Karolina
9) Summertime Pasta Salad
Easily vegan and easily gluten free (see notes)
“I made this last night to pack for lunches this week. Easy ingredients, simple to pull together, incredibly delicious, and so beautiful! I’ll definitely be bringing this as a side to summer cookouts!” – Lauren
10) Fresh Mango Salsa
Vegan and gluten free
“I made this today for a Memorial Day picnic. Love the bright colors and the taste is delicious!” – Lori
11) Quinoa Tabouli
Vegan and gluten free
“Kate – I made this quinoa tabouli for a church pot luck in the SOUTH. Guess what? It was gone! I am sure that is not a surprise to you, but among the BBQ chicken, hot dogs, cheesy cheesy mac and cheese and taste-less salads (I am sure you can envision this…), this “red-seed-looking-things -and-vegetables” was a huge hit… — Callen
12) Cowboy Caviar
Vegan and gluten free
“I’ve made this twice in the past week! My husband loves it, I love it! I’m 8 months pregnant and am craving fresh, bright flavors so this is perfect. We’ve had it as a side salad, once with chips, once without. We also put it in quesadillas which was fantastic. Thanks for a great recipe!” – Ali
13) Arugula, Dried Cherry and Wild Rice Salad with a Zippy Lemon Dressing
Easily vegan and gluten free
“I was looking for a good salad for sack lunches. Stumbled across this one and the rest is history. I now call it the “crack salad” — I’m completely addicted! Not only does it hold up well in the fridge, it actually tastes better the next day. So awesome, Kate! Thanks for making salad my first choice. :)” – Richelle
14) Peanut-Sesame Slaw with Soba Noodles
Vegan (gluten free with substitutions)
“Made this to take to the office for lunch today and wow – new favorite right here! It also works if you prep the night before.” — Dini
15) Kale Guacamole
Vegan and gluten free
I need your feedback on this one! :)
16) Black Bean Salsa
Vegan and gluten free
“The last time I made [your black bean soup] I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I used it as the insides of a burrito with your best salsa ever [this salsa] and one of your avocado/jalepeño/cilantro sauces (I think the one from the sweet potato tacos). It was great!!! Thank you!” — Krystal (Again! Thanks, Krystal!)
17) Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Raw Squash and Feta
Vegetarian!
“I made this two nights ago. The verdict: absolutely delicious and so full of colour. It tasted even better on day 2. We’ll definitely be having this one again and again. Thank you!” — Simone
18) Simple Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Dipping Sauce
Gluten free
“I made these skewers last night for a dinner party and they were beautiful as well as tasty! They were a huge hit and I would definitely make them again!” – Jody
19) Lebanese Lemon-Parsley Bean Salad
Vegan and gluten free
“Thank you, thank you, thank you for this salad recipe! I am going to be living on this all summer long! It is exactly what I was looking for. Love your blog Kate!” —Karen
20) Peanut Dipping Sauce
Easily vegan and easily gluten free
“Already made this twice this week. It’s the best peanut sauce in existence!” – Emily
P.s. More recipe roundups: 24 meatless recipes that carnivores will love and 12 vegetarian pasta recipes. I’ve saved some of my favorite bloggers’ summer dishes on my summer Pinterest board, too!
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