Pasta Salad

Check out your local farmers' market for the best selection of heirloom tomatoes and use them within a few days.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An Asian take on pasta salad. Soba, or Japanese buckwheat noodles, have a brown-gray color and nutty flavor.

This versatile salad can also be made with leftover beef, lamb or chicken.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

This salad's delicious dressing is popular with my children as a dip for vegetables (I make a bottle of it to keep in the refrigerator). The salad is great for lunch boxes, or as a side dish served warm or cold. Use three-color pasta, if possible. Preparation: 10 minutes/Cooking: 12 minutes Nutritional information: Rich source of beta-carotene, fiber, and folic acid

Serve this as a side dish, or add some cooked shrimp or chicken for a main course. Look for the sesame oil in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Pick up a rotisserie chicken at the market, or use leftovers to keep the preparation easy.

Here's a summer salad with robust flavors.

Light, refreshing and beautiful.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For extra eye appeal, use tricolor pasta in this fresh-from-the-garden salad.

For a nice picnic, pack up this salad (chill it well first), some bread and wine.

The dressing can also be used for Chinese chicken salad or as a basting sauce for grilled steaks or chops. Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Arugula replaces lettuce in this clever pasta dish. Serve with: Whole-wheat breadsticks and carrot sticks with blue cheese dip. Dessert: Cherry-vanilla ice cream cones.