Salad recipes

Much better than classic Macaroni and Cheese. This version still has lots of cheesy flavor but is baked with juicy tomatoes and lots of mushrooms. Serve with a simple salad and make with whole wheat macaroni for a serious boost to the health value that's packed with flavor. A great family casserole.

Mediterranean lamb burgers: grilled rosemary-garlic lamb patties stuffed into pita with goat cheese, olive-tomato salad, and minted yogurt sauce. A greek-style upgrade on burger night.

A rich bouillabaisse loaded with lobster tails, cod, halibut, and sea scallops in a saffron-tomato broth with orange peel and fennel. Served over garlic toast for a stunning French-inspired seafood feast.

Thai-style stuffed tomatoes filled with seasoned ground pork, shrimp, peas, and corn, flavored with pounded garlic, peppercorns, coriander root, and fish sauce. Gently steamed until tender and fragrant.

Classic tabbouleh salad with bulgur wheat, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, and a lemon-olive oil dressing. A no-cook Middle Eastern grain salad that improves as it chills.

French-style vegetable stew with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and green pepper simmered in a Dutch oven. A ratatouille-inspired one-pot dish ready in under an hour.

This soup is a complete meal when served with a green salad and French bread.

Quick Rotel salsa made with canned Rotel tomatoes and chiles, fresh tomato, scallions, garlic, and lime juice. No cooking required. Mix and serve with chips, on salads, or over Southwestern dishes.

Turkish lamb pita burgers blend ground lamb and turkey with bulgur, toasted coriander and cumin, allspice, and cinnamon. Tucked into warm whole-wheat pitas with herbed yogurt and tomato-onion salad. Eastern Mediterranean flavors for 6.

No-cook summer couscous salad with fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, mint, coriander, parsley, and garlic in olive oil. A light, herby Mediterranean side dish.

Lebanese bulgur wheat salad with marinated chicken, fresh herbs, and crisp vegetables. This protein-packed tabbouleh makes a hearty, healthy main dish bursting with lemon, mint, and garlic.

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.

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.

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.

This is a great recipe- very light and a great dish for a veggie night!