Characteristic: hearty salad

The lime juice, hot pepper and cotija really make this salad. Vary it to use what you have on hand.    Variations: Use whatever bean or chickpea you have (in the above case, it's black chickpeas) Use whatever crunchy vegetables you like/have such as radishes, salad turnips, kohlrabi, fennel, peas, carrots, onions Use whatever tender herbs you like/have such as mint, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, basil, chives, dill, chervil, oregano Omit the cheese or use a different kind such as feta or diced sharp cheddar Add toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds (though they will soften and lose their crunch so add right before serving)  ... Read more »

Radicchio or any chicory (escarole, frisee, sugarloaf, etc.) is delicious in this wintry salad. The parsnips add a sweet, earthiness that complements the slightly bitter greens.... Read more »

Whether you have a picnic or potluck to go to, need a portable work lunch or just want something delicious, this flexible salad fits the bill.  Whole grains like this take a while to cook, about an hour if you haven't soaked them (which I often forget to do). But they keep well, so cook a big pot at the beginning of the week and use it in a variety of ways.   Variations Sub fresh mozzarella for the feta or skip the feta and add a handful or two of garbanzo beans Use fennel, green beans or snap peas instead of the cucumber Add fresh or roasted sweet peppers Farro, rye, barley, wheat berries, or about 3 1/2 cups cooked grains, will go very well in this dish. ... Read more »

This is a wonderful winter salad. It's robust, yet bright and crunchy thanks to the celery and yogurt dressing flavored with Dijon mustard and coriander. You can substitute barley, farro or spelt for the wheat berries. This recipe makes quite a bit but it keeps well and seems worth having on hand for lunch the next day but feel free to halve the recipe.... Read more »

Another cook-with-what-you-have salad that came about one late fall day. I love the combination of cooked/roasted and raw vegetables and if you can serve this right away when the squash is still warm it's particularly good. Vary this with other seeds or nuts and different herbs to suit your needs/taste. And if your celery has leaves attached, by all means add a handful or two of those. ... Read more »

This a hearty but bright side dish/salad that is beautiful to boot. The tang of the green tomatoes offsets the sweetness of the squash.... Read more »

The grated raw beets, marinated briefly in lemon juice, garlic, salt and oil add so much flavor here and you can adapt the rest of the ingredients to suit your pantry and/or taste. Use any cooked grain you'd like. I imagine barley, freekeh, wheat or rye berries all being delicious. Quinoa would work just as well. If you don't have celery, finely dice carrots or radishes or something else crunchy and most any leafy herb would work. Mint would be fantastic as would basil or dill.... Read more »

  I like to roast a big winter squash on the weekend and then have the squash ready to turn into salads, soups, etc. all week long. I used an Oregon Sweet Meat here but a butternut or hubbard type would work well.... Read more »

This is a simple and hearty salad that holds up well for a few days though the seeds lose some of their crunch.   I tend to have cooked grains in the freezer and sometimes roast lots of vegetables at once to have on hand for various dishes throughout the week which makes a dish like this come together in very little time. And I do my best to have a jar of this classic vinaigrette on hand as well.  ... Read more »

The crunch of the toasted seeds and the tender chewiness of the bits of bulgur paired with the spicy mustard greens and sweet, roasted asparagus is just delicious. ... Read more »

When spicy spring greens like arugula and mustard greens are abundant this makes a perfect lunch or dinner salad. ... Read more »

I had squash to use up and just planned on roasting the squash with onion wedges and sage and rosemary. Dinner, however, called for a real salad with some zing and freshness (company was coming!). So I added the puny escarole in my garden (early February) and some radicchio from a friend's farm. A nice vinegary dressing pulled it together and a lovely, lovely combination was born. ... Read more »

This is a delicious, nutritious and beautiful dish. The minced onions and lime juice at the end bring everything together. ... Read more »

  This salad is strong, vivid and almost rich thanks to the peanut dressing. You can use a variety of greens in this flexible template (see Variations below).  ... Read more »

It's hard not to be effusive about this salad. The smokiness of the frikeh (roasted/scorched green wheat--a Middle Eastern specialty) paired with the cold crunch of the cucumber and the lemony dressing and plenty of fresh herbs is just plain a winner. Cookbook author and friend Ellen Jackson gave me the cracked, toasted coriander idea which rounds the dish out perfectly.   The salad would certainly be good with faro, wheat berries or even barley so give it a try even if you don't have frikeh. If you are using a different grain add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (pimenton) to the dressing.   While I typically use cilantro, mint, basil, parsley and oregano and even dill would all be good and you can try combinations of herbs as well. You can also vary the vegetables to use what you have on hand. And this salad is just as good (or better) the next day.  ... Read more »

This combination is reminiscent of the White Bean, Albacore and Arugula Salad. I think of this as the late summer version with a bit more sweetness and color, thanks to the peppers. As with most salads, you can scale this up or down, however, you'd like and you can change the ratio of beans to vegetables to suit your taste and what you have on hand. Just taste and adjust the dressing accordingly.  I tend to make a good amount of this salad since it keeps well and makes a good lunch the next day.  ... Read more »

This salad is good, quick, hearty and adaptable. It works best with fairly young, tender kale but whatever kale you have, slice it as thinly as you can. You can add grated carrots or beets for some color and contrast.    Variations Sub crispy bread crumbs for the toasted nuts or seeds. Add 1 tablespoon of white or yellow miso to the dressing and reduce (or eliminate) the salt. Leftover chicken is a nice addition.   Serves 4... Read more »

The sweet roasted squash, the sturdy kale, the avocado that turns the dressing creamy and the pop of the lime juice and pumpkin seeds is a lively combination.   For the above version I used blanched collard raab, instead of raw kale--a lovely alternative. If you have delicata squash by all means use it as you won't have to peel it. This salad, like many, is begging for adaptations so be creative--use different seeds or nuts, add herbs, different roasted vegetables, etc.  ... Read more »

[caption id="attachment_3965" align="aligncenter" width="678"] The above version includes a some canned Oregon Albacore, which his a lovely addition.[/caption] I love green onions and especially the greens, so I use them liberally here. You can cut back if you’re not as much of a fan. The chili oil, of which you’ll have some leftover, is wonderful on any salad or meat or roasted vegetable.  ... Read more »

--adapted from Bean by Bean by Crescent Dragonwagon   When you next bake some sweet potatoes, bake a few extra. And if you already have cooked black beans on hand or cans in the pantry (or the urge to make a big pot of beans to use for then and freeze the rest) then this will be a very simple dish to pull together. The green beans add color and texture and the combination is just too good not to make. And you'll have dressing left over and it is good on grains, meat, eggs, roasted veggies. . . .   This hearty salad is perfect for pairing with a spicy main dish like jerk-style chicken, tofu or eggplant and it’s a great lunch on it’s own.   Serves 4 to 6... Read more »