Salads

Many, many years ago, the term “salad” referred to the edible parts of various herbs or plants that were dressed only with salt. More recently the word salad has come to mean a mix of greens or an assembly of more robust ingredients, cooked or raw, coated with a dressing of some sort, and usually served chilled or at room temperature.

Monday-to-Friday salads are mostly main-course mixes that include the standard dinner trio—protein (either meat, cheese, or legume), maybe a starch, and at least one vegetable. A few other salads in this chapter are light compositions of greens or raw vegetables, just ample enough to round out a hearty soup, a light stew, or a hefty sandwich. Salads, too, are my way of using leftover lean meat, poultry, or fish that would dry out with reheating.