Salad recipes

Oil-free tomato vinaigrette with fresh tomatoes, white wine vinegar, basil, thyme, and Dijon mustard. A light, fat-free blender dressing for green salads and pasta salads.

Pasta Mexicana: a cold spinach-spaghetti pasta salad tossed with diced tomato, cucumber matchsticks, sliced avocado, salsa, and fresh cilantro. A Tex-Mex twist on summer pasta salad.

Salmon and pasta stuffed tomatoes: chilled macaroni salad with canned salmon, yogurt, dill, cucumber, and carrot, spooned into fresh tomato cups. A no-cook summer lunch.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Enjoy your summer with this succulent dish that will have you eager to make dinner!

Stovetop chicken lasagna layered with ground chicken, cottage cheese, egg noodles, and crushed tomatoes in one skillet. All the lasagna flavor without the oven or the wait.