Salad

Offer the salad with grilled steaks and some bread for mopping up the juices.

A quick vegetarian main-course salad.

A sophisticated, Spanish-style salad.

Umeboshi, or pickled plums, are not technically plums at all, but apricots. They are mixed with rice to make a popular summer dish in Japan. We've enlivened this salad with pickled ginger and sugar snap peas.

"The warm asparagus salad I had at Figs restaurant in Boston was as original as it was delicious," says Lena Madore of Los Altos, California. "They served it with a chickpea pancake. I'd love to try both recipes." This salad is great with or without the wedge of farinata, a flat savory cake of Italian origin made from chickpea flour.

If you've never tried roasted cauliflower before, this dish will be a revelation.

This is lovely paired with Champagne.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 40 min

Tabbouleh is made with bulgur, but we decided to shake things up a bit by mixing tabbouleh flavors (parsley, tomato, and lemon) with rice and lentils, a common Middle Eastern pairing. Served chilled or at room temperature, the salad is terrific with any meat, poultry, or fish. You could add chickpeas, corn, or more lentils for a vegetarian main course. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

It's best to divide this salad between two bowls; put one on the buffet table, and keep the other refrigerated until you need it later in the party. Make the pickled onions at least one day ahead.

Light, refreshing and perfect for summer. Use the vinaigrette on any mixed green salad; it's especially good with butter lettuce, orange segments and sliced red onion.

The contrast of textures and flavors—crunchy pine nuts, creamy goat cheese, acidic tomatoes, and spicy arugula—adds complexity to this simple salad. It makes a great side dish to steak or chicken or a light lunch for two.