Salad

A fun idea: Paper-thin slices of white vegetables are dressed with an Italian blue cheese vinaigrette.

Any kind of flatbread or crusty roll is perfect with this Moroccan concoction. You could also use the dip as a salad dressing or sauce for fish.

Beans take well to salad dressings, herbs, peppers, onions, and garlic, but be sure to warm the beans before dressing them so they will absorb these added flavors.

Tastier than coleslaw and healthier, too. Double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Can be made ahead? Yes. The day before. Cover and refrigerate.
Can be frozen? No.
Can be doubled and tripled? Yes
Good for leftovers? Yes. Covered and refrigerated, it will keep 4 to 5 days.

For more variety, stir in other finely chopped herbs such as basil, thyme, or tarragon.

One of Cat Cora's signature dishes is a watermelon, feta, and mint salad (a nod to her Greek heritage). Here, she gives the recipe an Italian accent.

Make this Turkish-inspired side dish into a light summer main course by adding grilled shrimp or chicken or by simply sprinkling with goat cheese. What to drink: Assyrtiko (a white varietal from Greece), Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.

Grilled vegetables pump up the classic Tuscan bread-and-tomato salad. What to drink: An Italian white like Vernaccia di San Gimignano or Orvieto. Can't find ciabatta? Use any good-quality crusty Italian or French bread.

Quinoa has more protein than any other grain; it's delicious in this summer salad.

In this perfect no-cook dish you can substitute crumbled bacon for the chicken or just omit the meat altogether.

This recipe serves 4 as a main course if you set aside 2 chicken breasts for another meal. Otherwise, it serves 6.

Chojín Alma Guillermoprieto of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes: "My guatemalan grandmother made a salad she called chojín. I remember the taste vividly, but when I went to Guatemala, no one knew the dish. This is my attempt to re-create it." While the ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple, the result is an eye-opening explosion of flavors.

Investor Ashton Kutcher has cozied up to current flame Demi Moore at this see-and-be-seen Melrose restaurant. Other famous patrons include Halle Berry and Sharon Stone, who have feasted on the Whole-Wheat Penne With Eggplant, Tomato, and Buffalo Mozzarella. To avoid filling up on a heavy entrée, start with this salad, which contains heart-friendly fat from olive oil.

Healthy bonus: Fiber and protein from lentils; vitamin A from carrots