Salad recipes

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.

This light dinner is full of vegetables and pairs well with a simple salad in summer or a warm bowl of soup in winter. Can be made gluten-free!

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.

Stunning Chinese shredded vegetable and chicken platter with wood ear fungus, egg strips, and a ginger-mustard sesame dressing. A composed cold salad that looks as spectacular as it tastes.

A tangy, jewel-toned tomato aspic loaded with crunchy celery, green peppers, and green beans. This vintage molded salad brings old-school Southern charm to any potluck or holiday spread.

Savory egg sandwich filling scrambles eggs with sauteed onion, tomato, and parsley, then binds it all with mayo for a richer-than-egg-salad spread. Picnic-friendly, ready in 25 minutes.

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.

Classic Shrimp Louis salad with poached shrimp, crisp asparagus, tomatoes, cucumber, and hard-boiled egg on lettuce, drizzled with a tangy yogurt-chili Louis dressing. A lighter take on the West Coast original.

A stunning cold Chinese platter of shredded vegetables, wood ear fungus, egg strips, and hand-pulled chicken, layered and dressed in a mustard-ginger-sesame-Chinkiang vinegar sauce. A showpiece salad for special occasions.

No-cook black bean salad with diced cucumber, plum tomato, celery, slivered basil, orange zest, and lemon juice. A bright vegan side that gets better as it sits and doubles as a protein-packed lunch.

Loaded tuna salad with crunchy walnuts, sweet pickles, and hard-boiled egg piled on toasted bagels with tomato and melted cheddar. Foil-wrapped and baked until bubbly, this hot tuna melt takes the classic sandwich to the next level.

Savor the fresh, vibrant flavors of Italy with these Caprese Melts. Toasted bread is layered with juicy tomato slices, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil, then broiled to golden perfection. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for a light lunch or appetizer, delivering classic Caprese salad flavors in a warm, melty sandwich.

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.

There is a bit of confusion about these two plants. For some reason,the fennel plant, which resembles celery with fern like tops, has been called sweet anise in produce markets. The true anise is cultivated only for its seeds. So what you see labelled "sweet anise" in your market is probably fennel, but no matter what you call it, this is a highly interesting vegetable. Every part of this aromatic plant has a taste and aroma similar to licorice. The stems are eaten like celery,uncook, or cooked and served as a vegetable (heavenly with apples in waldorf salad) available from September to May.

Vegan sweet potato and tomato soup with carrots, celery, and a hint of nutmeg, partially pureed for chunky-creamy texture. Healthy, high-fiber bowl perfect for chilly nights.