Who of us hasn’t come back from a period of gluttony like a vacation or the holidays and thought, “OK, I need to get back on track, I should probably have a salad.”?  When packed with vegetables, fruit and proteins, salads are a standard vehicle for transporting various vitamins and nutrients into your body.  They are a classic go-to meal to reach for when trying to make healthy eating choices and you can often feel good about eating a salad.

Then why do salads sometimes get a bad “wrap”?

Homer Simpson once said, “You don’t win friends with salad.”  (And then he, Bart and Marge form a conga line and chant that over and over.  It’s actually a rather catchy tune, but I digress…)

Like Homer, some people find salads unimpressive.  Salads can be seen as boring and monotonous, lacking flavor and variety.  It can be hard to get excited by the same old ingredients staring back at you from the bowl or plate.  You want to be good, you want to eat right, but ugh, really, salad again?

And that’s where the power of a little red berry comes in.  Cranberries are the perfect way to incorporate a pop of color, a layer of texture and a burst of unique flavor to salads.  Cranberries pair exceptionally well with most other fruits and vegetables, adding a sweet, tart punch and taking a salad recipe from meh to magnificent!

We say, with the help of America’s Original Superfruit®, you can win friends with salad.  And in celebration of May as national #saladmonth we’re sharing our favorite cranberry salad (and dressing) recipes to help you make better eating choices.

• Cranberry Salad with Beetroot and Goat Cheese
• Cranberries with Mixed Greens, Goat Cheese & Toasted Walnuts
• Cranberry & Cilantro Quinoa Salad
• Cranberry & Summer Squash Salad
• Cranberry and Couscous Salad
• Cranberry and Spinach Salad with Avocado
• Cranberry Bulgur Salad with Carrots
• Cranberry Arugula Pasta Salad
• Cranberry Melon Ball Salad with Feta Cheese, Walnuts, and Baby Spinach
• Cranberry Citrus Salad with Chili Vinaigrette
• Cranberry Papaya Salad with Shrimp
• Cranberry Parsley Salad with Grilled Zucchini
• Witlof, Cranberry, Pear, Rocket, and Parmesan Salad
• Marathon Runner’s Kale Salad
• Orange, Olive and Fennel Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
• Roasted Cranberry, Wild Rice and Kale Salad
• Cranberry and Mango Vinaigrette
• Cranberry and Sesame Dressing

Find even more recipes at uscranberries.com.