Salad recipes

Creamy German cucumber salad (Gurkensalat) tossed in a tangy sour cream dressing with mustard and fresh dill. Salting the cucumbers first keeps every slice crisp and the dressing thick, never watery.

Dill egg salad lightened with nonfat yogurt, served on lettuce leaves as wraps or scoops. A low-carb, make-ahead lunch or party appetizer.

Halloween hairball salad: walnut-sized balls of mashed avocado and alfalfa sprouts rolled up and perched on grated carrots, finished with Italian dressing. Kid-friendly ghoulish fun.

French green salad with butter lettuce, spinach, and sauteed shiitake mushrooms in a lemon-Dijon vinaigrette topped with fresh basil. An elegant, earthy side salad.

Grilled eggplant salad topped with a quick-pickled cucumber and red onion relish in cider vinegar dressing. A smoky, refreshing summer vegetable side.

Veggie Christmas tree platter with broccoli florets shaped into a tree, cauliflower as snow, and cherry tomato and carrot ornaments on a bed of ranch dressing. A festive no-cook appetizer.

Creamy ambrosia fruit salad with mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, coconut, mini marshmallows, and sour cream. A no-cook, make-ahead holiday side dish.

Fish fillets are cooked on a bed of mushroom-bread stuffing in this dish. Just add a salad or vegetable, and dinner is served.