Salad

"Last year I spent the holidays in Arizona with my aunt and uncle, who took me to a restaurant in Scottsdale called CREW," writes Lisa C. Holley of Washington, D.C. "I loved the goat cheese and mixed-green salad with candied nuts, and have looked for similar recipes on-line. I haven't found anything nearly as good." The candied almonds in this recipe are also delicious as a snack on their own—or sprinkled over ice cream.

This salad, or some approximation of it, was on [the Rainbow Room's] menu and my mother loved it and made her own version at home regularly. I do, too. Its ingredients list may sound odd, but this is a combination that not only works but becomes addictive. Don't be alarmed at the amount of vinegar: the astringency of the dressing, against the fulsome oiliness of the nuts and, in turn, nutty sweetness of the carrots, is the whole point.

French Dressing for Green Salads, Combination Salads, and Marinades The basic French dressing of France is very simple indeed — oil, wine vinegar or lemon juice, salt, and pepper; mustard, herbs, and garlic are optional. Although dressing will keep for a day or two, it is usually best when freshly made.

Bangkok-style noodles with shrimp, chicken and Thai chilies from Arun's in Chicago.

Serve this zesty salad alongside grilled chili-rubbed chicken or steak, or grilled fish tacos.

"I dined on the most sumptuous grilled radicchio salad at The Dish Bistro and Wine Bar the last time I was in Tucson," writes Cindy Shafer of Huntington Beach, California. "Please get the recipe — I must have it." Yellow and green beans, and artichoke hearts are grilled along with the radicchio in this recipe. Serve the salad while the vegetables are still warm.

If you are not able to find Pont l'Evêque cheese, either Taleggio or Brie would also work well in this lovely starter from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.

Soaking the red onion in cold water mellows its strong flavor.

The tuna sauce for this salad is based on the Northern Italian tonnato— a summer sauce served over chilled veal roast. You could use light tuna, but white tuna makes the sauce a more attractive color.

This salad is dressed with a red pepper and tomato sauce.

Peppery arugula, sweet, ripe strawberries, and buttery hazelnuts create layers of contrasting flavor in this simple salad.

This recipe was inspired by the version at Tramonti e Muffati restaurant, where the dish gets its distinctly Roman flavor from local mint, Sicilian lemons, and two-year-old Grana Padano cheese. The pine nuts are raw here, as Italians rarely toast them. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 20 min

Brush thick slices of country bread with olive oil to grill alongside the vegetables. To begin, dice some cucumber into chilled vichyssoise (either from a can or from restaurant takeout); offer watermelon and bakery brownies for dessert.