Salad

Serve this brilliantly colored salad of mixed salad greens, blueberries, mandarin oranges, and pears with Grilled Sirloin with Honey-Mustard Marinade (page 176).

Depending on the flavor and thickness of the brand of dressing you buy, you may want to consider adding a little lemon juice to it before tossing it with the salad. Lemon can really brighten the flavor and/or thin thicker dressings (thus requiring less dressing). Be careful, though—some brands are already pretty acidic, so adding lemon juice may make the dressing sour. Buy prewashed lettuces to save time.

I am pretty limited in the veggies I love, so I find myself eating the same ones often. Many years ago, I went to a restaurant in Beverly Hills, and they had an arugula salad. I’d never had arugula, but I was feeling adventurous. Ever since, arugula has been my favorite salad green—in part because I love it, but also because it’s one of the darker greens and thus has more nutrients than iceberg. Now I admit it’s a bit bitter and may not be everyone’s favorite. But I’d definitely recommend giving arugula a try. If you like it half as much as I do, you’ll love this simple salad.

Though I love traditional salads, I’m a big fan of salads that don’t include lettuce, especially in summer months when it’s warm. There’s something about a bowl of fresh, crisp veggies spiked with a bit of cheese that I find satisfying. And it doesn’t hurt that they provide fiber and fill you up with so few calories. Here’s one variation I make often.

When making salads at home, make sure your lettuce is well dried. Here, also be sure the salsa or pico de gallo is completely drained of extra moisture by quickly throwing it in a fine sieve and then gently pressing it with a spoon. Eliminating moisture from the ingredients ensures the finished salad isn’t watery. Well-dried ingredients yield a restaurant-quality (or better!) salad. To make this dish even more special, add low-fat cheese or fresh cilantro.

When using fresh herbs, be sure to dry them thoroughly after washing them so they are fluffy, not dense, when chopped. You not only get a more precise measurement, but they’ll also distribute more evenly in your dishes.

I think this might be the most guilt-free pizza I eat. Not only are you getting the health benefits of whole wheat from the tortilla, in addition, nutritious salad greens are included, along with plenty of lean protein. If you can’t find the garlic blend, you can use a garlic spread. Just be sure you find one without too much fat. That said, since you’re using only a teaspoon, even one with a bit of fat won’t hurt. Just be sure not to use the leftovers of a more fattening one in bulk in another recipe.

This is a great spicy, low-carb snack when served with vegetables such as celery sticks and endive. It’s also great served with baked tortilla chips or low-fat whole-grain crackers. Until recently, canned tuna was most commonly available in 6-ounce cans. But lately, a lot of products have decreased in size—from cereals to ice cream to peanut butter, which now often has a bubble in the bottom of the jar to make it look as big as it once was—even though the prices have not gone down. Be wary of this when you determine how many calories you’re consuming. The numbers on this dish are based on the 5-ounce can, not a 6-ounce one—which, by the way, generally contains only 3 1/2 ounces of tuna (the rest is liquid).

This lively dressing begins with a wonderful spice mix. Make two batches: one to have on hand for several batches of salad dressing, the other to use as a seasoning for grilled or roasted chicken.

Gina: Red grapes, chunks of provolone cheese, and crunchy almonds give this smoked turkey salad more personality than the old school mayo based options. For added color and crunch, toss the salad with a few handfuls of field greens, so they get coated in the creamy dressing. Serve this salad on soft whole grain sandwich bread or ciabatta rolls.

A plain old grilled chicken breast can be a bit uninspired, so we like to jazz up our breasts (who said that?) in this version of grilled chicken salad that has plenty of moxie. The marinade of fresh lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and fresh herbs infuses the chicken with a bright, sunny flavor (so yummy that you’ll want to use the marinade again and again for grilled meats). Here we team the grilled chicken with potatoes, celery, green olives, pistachios, and a creamy mayonnaise dressing for an over-the-top texture-and-flavor combination. This recipe doubles or triples beautifully, so it’s great for special lunches (think birthday parties, anniversaries, or bridal showers). It’s also great with a glass of chilled white wine and a crackly baguette.

A pesto-like dressing made from walnuts, garlic, and plenty of fragrant basil gives fresh, tender green beans a vibrant flavor. This simple, satisfying salad is delicious alongside grilled burgers, roasted chicken, or pan-seared fish.

Gina: Wow, life sure has a way of kicking you in the stomach when you least expect it. Ladies, I am sure you will understand what I’m talking about. You know that person who’s been in your life all along and you’ve never really seen him? That’s how it was with Pat and me. His mom and my mom went to school together, his brothers and my sisters were classmates, and, yes, you guessed it, we went to the same high school. . . . Sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you (if you keep your eyes open). That’s how I feel about my mom’s potato salad. She always made it for us when we were kids, but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I moved away. What is it they say about absence and the heart? That’s when I knew I had to master this recipe on my own. The first time I prepared it for Pat, he recognized that this was one apple that hadn’t fallen far from the tree. This potato salad remains a standout at all of our big family gatherings. Even if Mom can’t make it to an event, her potato salad will always be there! I think the creamy red potatoes, sweet-pickle relish, and sharp yellow mustard give this salad a distinct flavor and an appetizing color. Pat loves the richness that the big chunks of hard-boiled egg provide (and the way a little sugar brings out the flavors of the other ingredients).

When we fire up the grill to entertain, this side dish is always a big hit with our guests. Now, a lot of people grill corn on the cob for sure, but one thing our friends don’t expect is for Mr. and Mrs. Barbecue to transform it into a salad (we love to surprise folks). The grilled corn imparts a wonderful smoky flavor to this salad, and the red pepper and scallions add great color and crunch. The fresh lime juice and honey create a sweet tart dressing. This is a salad that can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, which is great for people on the go (like us)! And you may want to consider grilled sweet corn alongside most any grilled meat including chicken, steak, or pork chops. It’s the perfect accompaniment.

Gina: You gotta love an enormous chopped salad made with just about everything in the vegetable drawer. Our version includes the traditional ingredients of bacon, egg, and blue cheese, along with an array of colorful vegetables for fresh flavor and crunch, and our creamy Barbecue Ranch Dressing (imagine the tart, spicy creaminess of ranch with the sweetness and smoke of the barbecue sauce; it’s a match made in heaven). Your vegetables will be “grooving” in the bowl! This is a hearty salad worthy of being a meal all on its own.

Gina: Ours is a spinach salad with some serious attitude. In addition to the bacon and creamy blue cheese dressing, we add sweetened pecans and tart dried cranberries, and the overall effect is to give this salad a festive feel. It’s a great dinner party starter, and it’s especially good partnered with a fat grilled steak. The spiced pecans are good enough to eat on their own as a snack, but try to save them for the salad! And even though we call for dried cranberries, you can substitute a variety of dried fruit, including dried cherries or golden raisins.

Try this salad as it was made traditionally, without vinegar. If you feel the capers don’t supply the necessary zing, sprinkle a little wine vinegar over the salad and toss it again. Warm salads like this take the chill out of a cold-cut lunch and go very well alongside grilled fish, chicken, or sausages.