RECIPES

This is a boss salad with big flavors and textures. It will fill you up and make you (and your stomach) happy. And while it may take a little longer than other salads to make, other than tossing the potatoes and tomatoes on a sheet pan and sliding it into the oven, you are not bound to the kitchen while they cook. And the white wine Dijon vinaigrette is so good you could drink it. Great salad--great looking salad--try it. Sub-in any salty cheese for Parm, if you like. Notes:

Fresh, fresh, fresh and so good--I have a minor obsession with this incredibly fast cucumber salad. Not only for the healthy of it (under 50 calories!!), but it is really, truly, delish. And fast--I know I said that already. Let it sit at room temp a bit, but if you can't wait, just smash it immediately. Either way, you will get as addicted as I am. Make a large amount for a crowd and be prepared to get asked for the recipe. "Double the recipe to serve more!" Notes: Garlic sa

I adore a good, raw, broccoli salad. It started in my teens when a friend's mom made me a bowl of raw broccoli crowns tossed in mayo, honey and vinegar- topped with sunflower seeds and pepper. It was that simple and my mind was blown. Since, I have played with numerous combinations of the salad, likely eating raw broccoli in salad form a hundred times. This is one of my favorites. Minimal ingredients so the broccoli stands out as it should, all coated in a nutty, vinegar-y sw

This salad is so satisfying to eat, major crunch-factor and mouth-puckering tang from the vinaigrette. It reminds me of a salad I had when we lived in L.A., that I ordered every time I went to this little Greek restaurant. Just. So. Good. You can add grilled chicken to this salad with good results, or skip the chicken like me, and make it a full meal with some hummus and flatbread. "This salad is great left out at room temperature for an hour or so while you prepare other thi

I won't start by saying this is a favorite...(of course it is) but what I love about this salad is that all my texture needs (and flavors) are punched through in every bite. Like when the bite is so good you wriggle in your seat or punch the air. I used carved deli chicken, but I've also made it with leftover sliced breast and that was great. The ranch is homemade, lighter than what you can buy and just as delicious. "Sunflower seeds are also amazing on this salad!" Notes: Gr

I actually did a little dance when I realized that I had all the ingredients to make one of my favorite salads. This Edamame Crunch Salad is like ASMR for your mouth - so much crunch and jaunty flavor. It's also good for you. Protein, fiber, folate, vitamin K and vitamin C. It gets better the longer it sits, which makes it a terrific prep-ahead meal. To ramen or not to ramen. I do use broken uncooked plain ramen noodles because the crunch is great and I like to get a balance

Yeah, I love salads. My maternal grandmother had a repertoire of about twenty salads- she made one with supper every night. So salads are in my genes. Spinach is great in the winter, strong and full of vitamins- plus it holds up to heavier salad partners like barley. This salad is rustic, nutty and nutritious (hello, fiber) and will take any dressing or vinaigrette that you like. Little purple half-crescents of red onion and sturdy Feta give a nice yin and yang of salty/sweet

Annnd pistachios, almonds, cucumbers and an uber-light sesame vinaigrette that barely coats the leaves of the spinach. Subtle, nutty, spicy and clean. Each bite of burst-y grape and juicy cucumber in combination with squeaky-fresh spinach plus nuts is delightful. Very low-calorie salad, super pleasurable to eat. You just feel like your bod got detox session with this one and it tasted soooo good! "If you aren't feeling up to making the vinaigrette, sub-in your favorite Asian

Oh I love this salad, it's comforting and softly textured like your favorite sweater. The sweet potato gets a run in a hot oven with sliced shallot which turns sweet and caramelized. The bed of crisp winter greens underneath provides great balance, as does the drizzle of nutty tahini and acidic-sweet drops of balsamic vinegar. "Nutritional yeast is a smart replacement for a sprinkle of cheese, providing cheesy-like flavor and a pop of amino acids which aid in nutrient absorpt

So many cookies...I need something fresh and light! This salad is really basic, yet wholly satisfying. It also doesn't have a dressing per say, but the greens are barely tossed with olive oil and a pinch of salt. And anyhow the chicken in combination with dried cranberries and shards of salty Pecorino gives your mouth plenty to enjoy, and I really thing that a dressing would be too much here. At the very most, some dribbled - and judiciously at that - champagne vinegar would

I can't say enough about how absolutely yummy this salad is. And so simple. The apples are juicy and crisp, the strawberries sweet with a hint of tart, the chia seeds provide crunch while the pumpkin seeds give nutty crunch + salt and the Feta is tart and chewy-dry like it should be, all on a bed of fresh mixed baby lettuces. The final bit is a conservative drizzle of apple vinaigrette- for that over-the-top punch of flavor. Y U M "I really love how the chia seeds look on thi

I've been eating it on the Italian buffet at Valentino's Restaurant since I was ten. I love the texture, how it is almost dry with so much ricotta and Parmesan , and the chunks of ham (or in this recipe, salami) are salty and so good with cold ribbons of spinach fettuccine. With our buffets in restaurants mostly shut down now, I determined to make this at home- without a recipe from the restaurant- which is fine, because my memory (taste buds) showed me the way. "I used salam

This salad is appropriate any time, but certainly during the holidays and with any menu. It's interesting and delicious, and it is fun to tell people the name. (I say 'jeweled' because of the gritty sparkle on the sugared pecans, and gleaming crimson of pomegranate seeds.) This salad is bold and will serve a lot of people. The sturdy curly kale provides an earthy, mineral flavor, the pecans give needed nutty sweetness, pomegranate seeds are mini pops of tart, fruity juice, wh

I've almost never had a chicken salad I don't like, and this one is no exception. Happily studded with broken walnuts and golden raisins and not too much mayonnaise. The recipe doesn't include celery, though you could certainly add it, if you like. It's quick and yummy and doesn't stay around for long. Plunk some down over your favorite greens, on a toasted English muffin (my go-to) or do it open-faced on artisan bread...there are endless options, obviously. All you definitel

If you need a fresh and delicious salad to break through all the pumpkin spice, this is salad is ideal. Crisp, sweet and juicy with all the apple-y flavors you love plus toasted walnuts and salty Feta and bacon. The vinaigrette is cider-based--both sweet and tart, providing a subtle tangy punch to each and every bite. You won't be able to eat this salad fast enough. "I love to use a mix of 2-3 apples, you will have some apple left over, so just spritz over a little lemon and

I don't always want breakfast at breakfast, some days I'll just skip it and some days I wake up fully in lunch-mode, which is how this recipe came about. I wanted an fried egg, and a chickpea salad with cherry tomatoes on peppery arugula AND a creamy hit of something fresh and cucumber-y. I thought, why not put them all together rather than in separate elements on my plate. It worked (well)! Enjoy. "I make my own tzatziki sauce (really easy), but if you would rather buy it, d

When you live in the Midwest (or in the heart of the US) you pretty much see pasta salad at every family gathering, grill-out, brunch, baby shower or picnic from spring until summer. It's not a bad thing, unless you A: don't like pasta salad, or B: the pasta salads are heavy, bland and overly mayo-d. This salad is light and unusual, in that the "ranch" is not just a bottle of dressing poured over or cups of mayo mixed with a packet Hidden Valley. It's a vinaigrette. Hooray! Y

I'm dreamily eating my way through pounds of nectarines courtesy of my sweet mother-in-law, who grew up on an orchard in NE Nebraska, and basically knows a thing or two picking perfectly ripe fruit. This salad came together easily, with some leftover grilled chicken, toasted pecans, Feta, and the nectarines. It tastes sweet and clean, with a perky hit from the Maple-Dijon vinaigrette. I do prefer to use yellow nectarines over white because the flavor is sharper, compared whit

As it says. Both in how it tastes, and what's in it. This might go down as the MOST satisfying (and colorful) salad I've ever made. and I won't lie and say that your jaw won't get a slight workout from the chewing. But no matter, it is unquestionably, pridefully, delicious. Smoky bacon, buttery avocado, crisp avocado, juicy tomato, tart Feta, crunchy-sweet carrots, salty sunflower seeds...a happy party for your mouth. "Make sure you find the freshest tomatoes you can, it make

I like potato salad when it isn't the usual; gloopy, overly-mayo'd, unsalted, mushy cubes the size of Legos. I feel like, "I think I want to eat this..." then end up "meh" about the experience. So, I am not a person to "crave" potato salad, because even though I have had one or two tasty ones, the bad ones seem stick in my memory more...which is weird, I know. I was imagining my perfect potato salad and what I kept coming back to, in the way of flavor, is my favorite potato c