Salad idea

I would definitely do a green salad just don’t put on too much dressing. I would do a spinach salad with chopped egg and bacon - it’s a great rich winter salad.

I would do potato salad anyway.

I would skip a green salad after all the issues with romaine...

how about a nice broccoli salad? We love this one paleoleap.com/broccoli-apple-salad-walnuts/

broccoli salad. I do one with frozen peas, raw broccoli and peanut sauce or a golden raisin, broccoli, red onions and toasted pecans.. with a light sweet dressing.

Spinach salad or spring mix, people like something lighter with the heavier foods.

Costco sells a huge bag of a kale salad with poppyseed dressing, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. The kale holds up well to dressing without getting gross, so you could dress it in advance of serving. Kale always seems like a good weather vegetable to me.

I love that 7-layer pea salad. Recipe Link. It makes such a pretty presentation, too!

That Costco kale salad is delicious -- I haven't had one in a while and I'm going over there tomorrow. I'll have to pick one up.

At potlucks and such I prefer a dressed salad for the same reason. Make the green salad and 10 or 15 minutes before you eat just put the dressing on and toss. I also feel that when you have to stop and put dressing on it holds up the potluck line. So much easier to have it already dressed.

I think when someone says salad, they mean a green salad. Unless they specify pasta/potato etc. So I would go with a green salad.

If not, maybe a brocolli, pea etc salad. A layered salad would be a good option and the dressing wouldn't spread as much on a plate.

I am going to guess that you are from the Midwest. When my fiance’s Mother passed away in Nebraska, the women of the church she had attended put together a beautiful buffet for after the service and my fiancé had no idea they were doing it. It was very kind of them and his cousin said that it was expected of church members to do this. There was a long line of various salads, which I love, and I took a small piece of ham and filled the rest of my plate with a spoonful from each salad bowl.

I’m sure my face showed my shock when I took a bite of one of the salads that was sweet. It was so much like a desert that I wondered if it had been put out by mistake and should have been held until the dessert was served. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but after eating a bite of vinegary 3-bean salad, it was a shock to my palate.

When I was helping to clean up afterwards, someone asked for that recipe so I eavesdropped on their conversation. I was anxious to know what the heck was in it. It was a familiar taste, but so out of the norm for what I was expecting, I couldn’t place it. It was a Snicker’s Salad! I was tasting chopped up Snicker’s bars! And like I said, it was amazing, but so not what my mind groups in with a “salad” table where everything else was savory.

I love pistachios, so I’m copying your recipe, but it will be a desert for me.

My vote would be for a broccoli salad or broccoli/cauliflower salad - craisins would be a must for a little added sweetness.
Or a layered salad - the layer possibilities are endless, Panzanella salad or a pea salad.  I really like one similar to what shelby posted, but I don't use ranch dressing. So good.
I also love a cherry coke salad - it goes great with ham and potatoes (2 small pkgs dark cherry jello, 1 can cherry pie filling, 12 oz. Dr. Pepper, small can of crushed pineapple, and chopped pecans.)  

I wouldn't do any green salad using lettuce because I've decided to avoid all lettuce from now on because of the e-coli. Yes, I know it was from a particular area... But you just never know because we keep hearing about recalls.

I'd do that Costco kale salad. 

Or what about a quinoa salad, kind of like tabouleh -- basically just dice up cucumbers, peppers, onions, tomatoes..whatever.. and toss into the cooked quinoa. Pour on some vinaigrette ahead of time so it soaks in. I always make this in the summer. We always serve it on lettuce but since our lettuce days are gone we'll just be eating it as-is, as a side dish.