JULIE WELLS: Prepare carrot and raisin salad as a summer side dish

Are you in need of a new summer salad to add to your collection of recipes?

Today’s featured recipe is a carrot and raisin salad, a side dish that is as delicious as it is versatile.

The salad is versatile because, although it is made up of the base ingredients such as mayonnaise, carrots and raisins, you can add other ingredients to change the flavor.

Some people add chopped pecans or walnuts to give the salad a little more crunch. I read one recipe where someone added chopped apple and broccoli to their version of the salad. I would suggest starting with the basic ingredients and going from there.

Also note that I cut back on the amount of mayonnaise I would normally use, and used plain Greek yogurt, too. I also included some crushed pineapple, which I loved. I didn’t want the salad to be too sweet, and that is why I only used 3 tablespoons of the crushed pineapple.

Additionally, I used matchstick-sized carrots instead of shredded carrots. The only difference is the type of cut in carrot, and thickness. I like using the matchstick carrots in my version of this salad because you can actually taste the carrot itself better and it doesn’t get lost in the mix of the other ingredients.

And save yourself some time by purchasing a bag of pre-cut carrots. I purchased a 10-ounce bag of carrots for less than $1.50, and for me that was worth not having to shred the carrots myself.

Lastly, serve up the summer salad in ramekin cups. It helps portion out the salad better, particularly when serving the side dish to a large crowd.

Julie Wells write the weekly food column The Recipe Box for the Rockdale Citizen.

CARROT AND

RAISIN SALAD

What you need …

10 ounces of matchstick carrots ( or shredded carrots)

1 cup of raisins

3 tablespoons of crushed pineapple, (drain the juice)