Salad Ideas

Blanch rainbow chard, then drain and shock in ice water. Squeeze it dry, chop it and toss it with toasted pine nuts, raisins, olive oil and a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar. Capers are good, too.

Roast beets whole, then slice or cube and toss with a little chopped garlic (or a lot of roasted garlic), toasted walnuts, orange juice and olive oil.

Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever.

Peel beets and grate them in a food processor. Mix equal parts plain yogurt and tahini and toss with the beets along with lemon juice and za’atar (a mixture of toasted sesame seeds, dried green herbs and ground sumac; you can make it yourself using dried thyme).

Cold not-sesame noodles: Combine about a half-cup peanut butter with a tablespoon soy sauce and enough coconut milk to make the mixture creamy (about a half cup), along with garlic and chili flakes in a blender or food processor. Toss sauce with cooked and cooled noodles, a load of basil, and/or cilantro, and lime juice. Shredded carrots, raw peas and chives optional.

Sort of classic pasta salad: Pasta, artichoke hearts, sliced prosciutto or salami, chopped tomato. Dress with olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar, perhaps with some mustard.

Cook short-grain white rice in watered-down coconut milk (be careful that it doesn’t burn) and a few cardamom pods. While warm, toss with peas (they can be raw if they’re fresh and tender), chopped cashews or pistachios, a pinch of chili flakes and chopped raw rainbow chard.

Toss cooked, cooled farro, wheat berries, barley or other chewy grain with chopped-up tomatoes. Add olive oil, lemon juice and thinly sliced romaine lettuce; toss again, with ricotta salata or feta.

Trim crusts if necessary from day-or-two-old bread (or even three-day-old bread), cube and marinate in black olive tapenade thinned with more olive oil. Add chopped capers and toss with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. (Anchovies optional.)