Think healthy about salad and leafy greens come to mind, but it’s the little things chopped vegetables, grains, beans, fruits, nuts, seasonings, and other surprises that give every salad its unique character. Enjoy these for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
My inspiration for this salad came from the summer vegetables that I buy from the farmers’ markets in Santa Monica and Venice. I love the different colors of green beans you see during their season: yellow wax beans, purple beans, and different sizes and varieties of green beans. Heirloom tomatoes also come in many different colors and shapes. Each has a slightly different flavor, which also makes this salad interesting.
12 ounces green, yellow, or purple beans, trimmed and cut into 3-inch segments (about 4 cups)
1 medium shallot (about 2 ounces), thinly sliced
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about ½ teaspoon)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds heirloom tomatoes (about 4 medium), cut into 1- to 2-inch segments
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 1 large cob)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
This is my version of a classic Italian American antipasto salad with a dressing made from pureed zucchini. Don’t feel that you have to follow this recipe exactly; use whatever seasonal vegetables you like in place of those called for here. You can serve the salad drizzled with the dressing or serve the dressing on the side as a dipping sauce.
3. Gado Gado with Indonesian Peanut Sauce
Gado gado is a popular Indonesian street food that is essentially a composed salad of assorted steamed and raw vegetables served on a bed of lettuce along with rice and a generous drizzle of peanut sauce. It manages to be light and refreshing yet decadent at the same time.
Makes about 10 cups of rice and vegetables
Ready in 30 minutes
½ pound baby potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 medium head broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets (about 2½ cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick diagonal slices (about ½ cup)
2 cups cooked brown rice (from ⅔ cup uncooked rice)
1 medium English cucumber (or 1 Persian cucumber), cored and cut into half-moons (about 1½ cups)
1 cup bean sprouts (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
Indonesian Peanut Sauce
1. Place a steamer basket in a medium saucepan and add 1 to 2 inches of water to the pan. Bring the water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Place the potatoes in the steamer, cover, and steam for 15 for minutes; at 7 minutes in, add the broccoli and carrots. Remove from the steamer and run under cold water if serving cold. If serving hot, go to step 2.
2. To serve family style, mound the rice in the center of a large platter. Arrange the potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, and bean sprouts around the rice. Garnish with the cilantro. Serve with the peanut sauce on the side for people to drizzle over their portions.
4. Crunchy Vegetable Salad with Korean Hot Sauce
This mix of crunchy vegetables, including the unusual combination of broccoli and bean sprouts, is brought together by the gochujang, or spicy Korean hot sauce, that the salad is dressed with.
Makes about 4 cups
Ready in 20 minutes
8 ounces broccoli, cut into ½- to ¼-inch florets (about 4 cups)
4 cups bean sprouts (about 10 ounces)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 cups)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts; about ½ cup)
Gochujang
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1. Combine the broccoli, bean sprouts, carrots, and scallions in a large bowl.
2. Drizzle the dressing over the mixture and toss to mix the vegetables and coat them with the dressing.
3. Sprinkle the cilantro and sesame seeds over the salad and serve.
NOTE: Look for Japanese toasted sesame seeds, which come in a tall plastic shaker canister. The canister makes them easy to use and store, and something about the way that they are toasted makes them extremely flavorful. You can find them at gourmet and ethnic markets. I keep a canister of both the black sesame seeds and the white sesame seeds on hand to sprinkle into salads and noodle dishes.
5. Fattoush: Lebanese Bread Salad
Fattoush is a traditional Middle Eastern salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumber, and other vegetables together with toasted pita bread “croutons.” To turn this into a hearty meal, add 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas to the mix before you toss it. If you happen to have homemade
Za’atar Spiced Pita Bread on hand, that will make for a truly special fattoush.
Makes about 10 cups
Ready in 30 minutes
2 whole-wheat pita breads, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1½ cups)
1 romaine heart, core removed and discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 medium tomatoes or 1 large tomato, cut into ¾-inch dice
2 Persian cucumbers (or 1 English hothouse cucumber), cut into ½-inch dice
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
3 radishes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup finely chopped fresh mint
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Za’atar Spice (or store-bought)
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about ½ teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sea salt to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the pita pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Place the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and radishes in a large bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice. Add the mint, parsley, za’atar spice, garlic, pepper, and baked pita chips and toss to combine. Add salt to taste.
6. Sicilian Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad
I use a mandoline to shave a whole head of cauliflower into paper-thin slices for this salad, but you can do the same with a large sharp knife. When I can find it, I use Romanesco cauliflower, which has a beautiful bright green shade and unusual cone-shaped florets. To turn this colorful salad into a complete meal, add 1 to 2 cups cooked farro.
Makes about 10 cups
Ready in 25 minutes
For the Dressing
1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about ½ teaspoon)
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
1 large orange
1 large head Romanesco cauliflower (or another type of cauliflower)
4 cups butter lettuce (about half a head), torn into 1-inch pieces
½ (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about ¾ cup)
5 radishes, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons sliced pitted Kalamata olives (optional)
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons unsalted pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)
1. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and ¼ cup water. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. To make the salad, peel the orange and break it into segments. Discard the peel.
3. Cut the cauliflower into quarters. Using a mandoline or a large sharp knife, slice the cauliflower into wafer-thin slices and put the slices into a large bowl.
4. Add the lettuce, orange segments, chickpeas, radishes, basil, olives (if you are using them), raisins, and pine nuts (if you are using them) to the bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add more salt or pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
STORAGE: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
7. Mexican Chopped Salad
In this salad, the vegetables are roasted before being added into the mix. I call for the veggies to be roasted in the oven, but you can also cook them on an outdoor grill. If you want to make the salad more substantial, toss in 2 cups of cooked brown rice, quinoa, or farro or toasted, broken-up corn tortillas.
Makes about 8 cups
Ready in 30 minutes
1 medium zucchini, sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 cup small cherry tomatoes
1 cup fresh or frozen pearl onions, peeled if fresh, cut into quarters
1 medium red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch strips (about 1 cup)
2 romaine hearts, core removed and discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 8 cups)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 1½ cups)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 1 large cob)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or ½ teaspoon ground chipotle)
Sea salt
Four-Chile Salsa (or store-bought oil-free salsa)
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread the zucchini, tomatoes, onions, and bell pepper strips in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until they are browned in places. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Put the lettuce into a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables, beans, corn, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, lime juice, paprika, and salt to taste and toss gently to combine.
4. Drizzle the salad with salsa and serve.
STORAGE: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
8. Tunisian Couscous and Carrot Salad
Technically, couscous is a kind of pasta, but it seems so much like a grain in how you cook and eat it that I tend to think of it as a grain. For this salad, you can use fine North African couscous or Israeli couscous, which is larger. The harissa-based dressing tossed into this colorful, hearty salad gives it a bold flair that will delight you and your guests.
Makes about 10 cups
Ready in 30 minutes
1 cup whole-wheat couscous (fine couscous or Israeli couscous)
½ cup Harissa
1 bunch kale, stems removed and discarded, leaves shredded (about 4 cups)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1½ cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1½ cups)
1 medium tomato, cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 cup)
4 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts; about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons dried currants
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1. For Israeli couscous, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. For fine couscous, bring 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in the couscous. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the couscous steep for about 15 minutes, until it is tender. Drain in a colander.
2. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and fluff it with a fork. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3. Add the harissa to the bowl with the couscous and toss it gently to distribute the harissa; this also helps prevent the couscous from forming clumps. Add the kale, chickpeas, carrots, tomato, scallions, and currants and toss gently to combine.
4. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
STORAGE: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
9. Caribbean Salad with Tropical Fruit
1 romaine heart, core removed and discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
6 ounces jicama, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 1½ cups)
Combine the lettuce, mangoes, pineapple, jicama, cucumber, tomato, and papaya or kiwi in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the mint, parsley, and thyme (if you’re using it) and toss to combine the ingredients. Serve right away.
