Salad recipes

Soba noodle and cucumber salad with daikon sprouts and seared ahi tuna. A cold Japanese-style noodle plate finished with chile oil drizzle. Light, fresh, restaurant-style.

Cold pasta shell salad with chunky tuna, red kidney beans, olives, red onion, and red wine vinaigrette finished with grated Asiago. Protein-packed make-ahead lunch or potluck side.

Pasta with smoked mozzarella: bow-tie pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh asparagus, thyme, and melty smoked mozzarella. A light pasta dinner that works hot or as a next-day salad.

Whole wheat pasta with broccolini and radish gets tossed in a sherry-orange vinaigrette and crowned with creamy feta. A bright vegetarian pasta salad equally good warm or chilled the next day.

Cold pasta salad with smoked turkey, corn, red onion, and a tangy barbecue-tomato dressing. Tossed with rotini and topped with sliced green olives. Great for picnics and potlucks.

Wine-poached chicken tossed with rigatoni, fresh basil, sweet red peppers, and olives in a bright garlic-lemon dressing. A chilled Italian pasta salad built for hot summer nights.

Chunky pesto with two kinds of basil, leftover chicken, pecans, and anchovies for depth. A no-cook sauce that turns pasta salad or hot pasta into a full meal.

Italian no-cook tomato cucumber summer salad with red onion, basil, parsley, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Italian-style topping for bruschetta or tossed cold with pasta.

Cold sesame noodles with a creamy peanut butter and sesame oil sauce, lightly spiced with hot sauce and soy. Quick lunch or potluck pasta salad ready in 15 minutes.

Three bean pasta salad with kidney beans, chickpeas, and green beans tossed in a tangy Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar dressing. A hearty no-cook side dish packed with protein.

Penne alla malefemmina, a no-cook Southern Italian pasta sauce of raw tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, and garlic marinated in olive oil. Tossed with hot pasta or served cold as pasta salad.

Mexican-style bow ties: hearty pasta salad with seasoned ground beef, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, cheddar, and a zippy yogurt-salsa dressing, topped with crushed tortilla chips. Warm or cold crowd-pleaser.

Easy, spicy-hot cold noodles for summer -- This recipe is an easy prepare-ahead dish for a hot summer day. It makes a good barbecue side dish for all of us who are tired of potato salads.

Summer vegetable spaghetti tossed with zucchini, yellow squash and green beans in a light tomato sauce with a pinch of chili powder. Low in fat, no oil needed, and just as good served cold as a pasta salad.

Here is a kind of throw together recipe I came up with: If you are entertaining you can garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a caesar salad, garlic bread and a nice chablis. The vegetables can vary. I've used mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc. Grouper works well with this because it has a lot of flavor. I've used fresh tuna and halibut but prefer grouper.

Oxtail is one of the most economical and most flavorful cuts of meat, and one that takes well to marinating for days in a hearty mixture of red wine, herbs, and vegetables. The longer you marinate the mixture, the more flavorful it will be, but be sure it marinates at least 3 days. Oxtail is also a fatty cut -- give yourself plenty of time to allow the stew to cook and then cool, so all the fat can be skimmed off. Serve this with thick noodles in warmed soup bowls, accompanied by a tossed salad, and of course, a robust red wine.