Salad recipes

Summer squash, zucchini and fennel bulb are all freshly seasonal. Fire up the BBQ, grill these fresh vegetables, toss with juicy cherry tomates, a light and tasty vinaigrette and feta cheese. You can pair it with any grilled meat. Next day the leftover can be wrapped into wraps, or tortillas, or topping for pizza, another quick, easy and delicious meal!

Grilled catfish salad with a cane syrup and herb butter marinade, served over mixed greens with blue cheese crumbles and creamy blue cheese dressing.

Marinated cold steak salad with seared sirloin cubes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and cherry tomatoes in a homemade herb-Dijon vinaigrette. Make it overnight for the boldest flavor.

I love this salad, simple and easy, a good accompaniment for a meat dish.

Pasta primavera salad with tri-color rotini, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and red onion tossed in peppercorn ranch dressing. A colorful, make-ahead cold pasta salad for potlucks.

Greek potato salad with a creamy yogurt-feta dressing, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, oregano, and rosemary. A lighter Mediterranean twist on potato salad with no mayonnaise.

Microwave taco salad with hot Italian sausage, green chilies, and Monterey Jack over crisp lettuce and tomatoes. Single-person dinner ready in 20 minutes start to finish.

Italian market pasta salad tosses bow-tie pasta with fresh greens, cherry tomatoes, tangy gorgonzola and toasted pine nuts in a balsamic dressing. A light, no-mayo summer salad.

A loaded spinach and romaine salad with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and finely chopped crispy bacon, dressed simply in olive oil and red wine vinegar. Big, fresh, and crowd-friendly.

Lean ground beef simmered in a spiced no-salt tomato sauce, served in crispy baked tortilla bowls on a bed of shredded lettuce with cherry tomatoes, carrots, and Parmesan. A lighter taco salad that doesn't skimp on flavor.

Sirloin steak salad with rice, corn, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and a spicy picante-lime dressing. A Tex-Mex main dish salad with serious substance.

Turkey tonnato salad with a creamy tuna-anchovy dressing over diced turkey, potatoes, arugula, cherry tomatoes, and olives. An Italian-inspired no-cook main.

Italian vegetable salad with chickpeas, mixed vegetables, olives, and cherry tomatoes in a basil-garlic vinaigrette. A make-ahead marinated salad for potlucks.

Fresh vegetable turkey salad: marinated cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, olives, and peppers over crisp greens, topped with turkey strips and cheddar. High-protein, low-carb.

The health benefits of green papaya exceed those of the ripe variety. Raw green papaya is packed with vitamins, enzymes and phytonutrients. It contains vital nutrients including potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, E and B. However, perhaps the most important health property of green papaya is its ability to improve digestion and the uptake of nutrients, raising enzyme levels and improving assimilation, and thus also strengthening the immune system. Green papaya contains two of the most powerful plant proteolytic enzymes: papain and chymopapain. These enzymes excel at breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as aiding healthy digestion. Papain can only be found in the papaya fruit and is more effective than pepsin produced by our own stomachs.

Three tomato salad with red, yellow pear, and cherry tomatoes plus mushrooms in a balsamic-mustard vinaigrette with fresh basil. A colorful, low-fat summer side.