Check out these yummy summer salads....

Southern heat can rough (especially for a California girl), some days it gets so hot and humid I don't want to go anywhere near a stove. Salads are a perfect way to create a meal with little to no cooking involved. Below are some great salad ideas courtesy of http://www.shine.yahoo.com/

1. Blackberry Endive Salad

Drop a few blackberries in the bottom of a salad bowl and lightly mash with a fork to release the juices. Scatter in some sliced endive. Stir in ripe, chopped avocado. Grate in some Pecorino cheese (an aged sheep's milk cheese and a switch from your usual Parmesan). Add a bit of orange zest. Drizzle in a high quality extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic vinegar. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, toss, and you have a salad that will wake up your palate with fresh summer flavors.

2. Watermelon Tomato Salad

Place cubed, seeded watermelon chunks in a salad bowl. Stir in wedges of ripe, red tomatoes. Add pieces of Gorgonzola Dolce, a sweet, mild blue cheese. Scatter over lots of chopped fresh chives and a bit of shredded basil. Drizzle in good extra-virgin olive oil and Spanish sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, toss, and you've got another rockin' summer salad.

3. Strawberry Fruit Salad

Strawberries are at their most luscious right now, and they rightfully get top billing in a sweet salad packed with sliced summer fruit. Stir together grapes, grapefruit, mango, Forelle pears, apricots, honeydew melon, and last but not least, strawberries. Pour over a simple syrup of sugar and water flavored with vanilla bean. Scatter minced fresh mint and a few poppy seeds over top. Dessert is served!