Grilled Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini
Make way for a new Greek salad (read: no feta, olives or grape leaves in sight). This warm plate combines grilled (or saut??ed) eggplant and zucchini, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, scallions and basil, celery and quartered hard-boiled egg. Instead of the usual oil and vinegar, the dressing is a tangy and rich mixture of plain yogurt, olive oil, garlic and sesame oil. Charred slices of country-style bread are the perfect accompaniment for sopping up the juices.
Get the recipe: Grilled Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes and Zucchini
Green Bean Salad with Seared Pineapple and Shrimp
Sweet, spicy and savory flavors come together in this Asian-inspired salad, where a few tweaks help basic ingredients go a long way. First, you cook chunks of pineapple in a skillet until they brown on the bottom, which gives them a caramelized flavor. The second trick for major flavor: The recipe has you cook halved cherry tomatoes with a bit of oil and garlic, then crush them with a spoon to create an insta-sauce.
Get the recipe: Green Bean Salad with Seared Pineapple and Shrimp
Breakfast Salad
Here's one kale salad you may not have tried before: an a.m.-appropriate recipe that incorporates elements from a classic bacon, egg and cheese. It starts with a bed of shredded kale and sliced green apple in a maple-citrus dressing; chopped turkey bacon, grated cheddar and fried eggs complete the meal.
Get the recipe: Breakfast Salad
Chopped Salad with Bacon and Fried Garbanzo Beans
Fried garbanzo beans add unexpected flavor and crunch to a chopped salad you can serve family style.
Get the recipe: Chopped Salad with Bacon and Fried Garbanzo Beans
Mango Chicken Salad
This simple salad lets the fresh, sweet flavor of mangoes shine through.
Get the recipe: Mango Chicken Salad
Shaved Fennel, Potato and Arugula Salad with Mustard-Dill Dressing
If salads don't quite fill you up try this hearty option.
Get the recipe: Shaved Fennel, Potato and Arugula Salad with Mustard-Dill Dressing
Maine Crab, Green Apple and Avocado Salad with Parmesan Tuiles
The surprising combination of crab, green apple, avocado and Parmesan gives this salad a new spin.
Get the recipe: Maine Crab, Green Apple and Avocado Salad with Parmesan Tuiles
Lebanese Chopped Salad (Fattoush)
In addition to the usual salad suspects (romaine, tomato, bell pepper), this Middle Eastern dish also includes avocado, black olives, fresh parsley and mint. Ripped pieces of toasted, seasoned pita bread add unexpected texture and beautifully soak up the garlic-lemon dressing.
Get the recipe: Lebanese Chopped Salad (Fattoush)
Red, White and Green Salad
From the butter lettuce to the vine tomatoes to the avocado, everything in this salad is fresh, fresh, fresh.
Get the recipe: Red, White and Green Salad
Chicken Salad
Chicken salad begins with leftover roast chicken, and can incorporate whatever ingredients you have on hand—from bell peppers, celery and walnuts (shown), to snow peas and even grapes. Aside from the vegetables listed here, you may add more according to your taste, such as pieces of lightly cooked asparagus and artichoke hearts.
Lobster Salad with Mango and Avocado
Lobster. Avocado. Mango. Enough said.
Get the recipe: Lobster Salad with Mango and Avocado
Photo: Alison Gootee/Studio D
Beef and Bok Choy Salad
Although we most often see the Asian, green bok choy stir-fried, it also makes a wonderful salad base with its mild flavor and crunchy texture. In this dish, it complements coconut-soy marinated beef sirloin slices (which cook in less than 2 minutes), a coconut-lime dressing and chopped peanuts.
Get the recipe: Beef and Bok Choy Salad
Refreshing Salad of Oranges, Cotija Cheese and Cara Cara Vinaigrette
This salad features unexpected pairings of vibrant ingredients—mache, avocado and cotija cheese with a citrus dressing—and is sure to satisfy your craving for fresh wholesome flavors.
Get the recipe: Pear Salad with Tamari Pecans and Blue Cheese
Grilled Vegetable Salad with Chicken, Shrimp and Lobster
With its mix of vegetables, seafood and chicken, this salad is sure to have something to please every guest.
Get the recipe: Grilled Vegetable with Chicken, Shrimp and Lobster
Chinese Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups
Cilantro and black sesame add zip to this Asian-inspired chicken salad.
Get the recipe: Chinese Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups
Gigi Barbina Salad
No garden-variety side dish, this salad has more than half your daily supply of vegetables, including beets (loaded with folate, potassium, and antioxidants) and butternut squash (for beta-carotene). Walnuts and goat cheese make it a meal.
Get the recipe: Gigi Barbina Salad
Grilled Skirt Steak Salad
More than meets the eye, this hearty skirt steak salad features a medley of unexpected flavors: peppery watercress, shallots, chervil, hot chilies and fresh lime.
Get the recipe: Grilled Skirt Steak Salad
Shrimp Salad in Endive and Radicchio Spears
Endive gives this salad crispness, and a simple mayonnaise dressing gives it creaminess, but the main purpose for both, Ina Garten says, is to "bring out the shrimpness." This shrimp salad can be prepared earlier in the day and assembled with endive just before.
Get the recipe: Shrimp Salad in Endive and Radicchio Spears
Arugula Salad with Honey-Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
The vinaigrette-dressed greens provide a satisfying tang that plays off the richness of the bacon, which also provides a salty counterpart to the slight sweetness of the jumbo shrimp.
Get the recipe: Arugula Salad with Honey-Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Beet Salad with Grilled Red Onions, Manouri Cheese and Kalamata Vinaigrette
A traditionally Greek salad is elevated with some more exotic flavors.
Get the recipe: Beet Salad with Grilled Red Onions, Manouri Cheese and Kalamata Vinaigrette
Chickpea, Carrot and Olive Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
Mediterranean olives, chickpeas and carrots get a zesty lift from a cumin vinaigrette.
Get the recipe: Chickpea, Carrot and Olive Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Cashew Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
In this delicious salad, the honey mustard vinaigrette serves as both a marinade and a dressing.
Get the recipe: Grilled Chicken, Spinach and Cashew Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Warm Rare Beef Salad with Miso Mustard and Spring Vegetables
A spoonful of miso adds savory richness to a warm beef salad.
Get the recipe: Warm Rare Beef Salad with Miso Mustard and Spring Vegetables
Cristina's Caesar Salad
Eating this classic Caesar salad before a rich meal, like pizza or pasta, is a great way to ensure that you eat in moderation.
Get the recipe: Cristina's Caesar Salad
