Let’s be honest, OKC isn’t really salad culture—but we do have great options amid all the fried, grilled, braised and cured meats around town. As with most dishes, you can go fully healthy or just pretend you’re eating healthy by indulging in an over-the-top dinner salad. We have a variety for you to choose among this month. Barrios barriosmexicanokc.com We realize you’re probably starting with chips and salsa, as you should, but if you’re serious about the healthy summer body thing, then the Spicy Peanut Kale Salad is the way to go. This combination of kale, spicy peanut crumble and a remarkable harvest vinaigrette makes it one of the best choices on the menu. Cafe 501 cafe501.com The Edmond lunch stalwart has always done salad well, and the Berry Salad features enough chicken breast to make it a meal, but we love it for the blueberries and strawberries, fresh apples and soft butter lettuce. It’s not your mom’s fruit salad—no whipped cream or canned pineapple. Cafe 7 cafe7okc.com This NW OKC bistro is known for quality sandwiches, salads and pizzas priced to make it affordable for the whole family. The classic Chef Salad hits all the right Okie notes, especially the creamy ranch dressing. It’s topped with turkey, ham and boiled eggs, so it’s hearty and protein packed. In other words, not a side salad. Ling Long linglongokc.com The new Chinese spot in the Asian District is a sister restaurant to Takaramono, so the quality is excellent, and we wanted a chance to get the always delicious Kimchi Cucumber Salad on this list. The dish is deceptively simple, but the cold, crisp cucumbers tossed with zingy kimchi make this one a treat for fans of flavor and texture. Saturn Grill saturngrill.com Chef Joseph Royer has been specializing in fresh, healthy food at this Nichols Hills spot since 2002, and it’s been a popular lunch spot since the doors opened, largely on the quick service and flavorful, affordable food. The balsamic caramel isn’t the only reason his Tomato Mozzarella is fantastic, but it sure complements the grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in the best ways. Scratch Kitchen Cocktails eatatscratch.com Brady Sexton has been a mainstay on Main (sorry) in Norman for almost 15 years, and he’s worked some kind of magic with his Kale Brussels Salad. It’s only five ingredients, but it’s an absolute flavor bomb, thanks to the lemon vinaigrette and shaved Brussels sprouts. We’re still trying to understand how something this simple is this good. Stella Modern Italian stella-okc.com The Green Bean and Beet Salad starts with wine-poached beets, which would be perfect in their own right, but then Chef adds crunchy green beans, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and charred orange vinaigrette to create a cold, crisp, refreshing summer salad with enough oomph to be a perfect salad for lunch. The post Summer Salads appeared first on Oklahoma Gazette. ...read more read less