Romaine

Accompany this salad version of a BLT sandwich with grilled bread.

Crispy cornmeal polenta is the health star of this salad: It may be easier for your body to absorb corn's carotenoids from milled products such as polenta, rather than from whole kernels.

A vinaigrette that’s pleasingly sharp thanks to apple cider vinegar and grainy mustard tempers the lushness of the onion pie . Dress the greens just before serving.

It's so straightforward to put everything under the broiler at once and remove each component as finished—when the bread is toasted, the romaine is wilted, the chicken is cooked, and the tomato is juicy.

Radicchio adds streaks of scarlet and a pleasant bitterness to the usual Greek-salad suspects. A simple lemon and olive-oil dressing keeps things light and fresh.

A classic American sandwich gets a makeover: The avocado dressing has an inviting creaminess to it, and the crunchy grilled croutons are a revelation.

In this handheld treat, carrots, cucumbers, and smoked trout are tossed in a hot, sweet, and tangy sauce. For a simple side, steam some plain or sticky rice in the microwave, then chill it and mix in some chopped green onions, chopped fresh mint, lime juice, chili-garlic sauce, and a touch of soy sauce or fish sauce. For dessert, serve mango sorbet or fresh pineapple and mango slices.

Salads made with hearty romaine stand up well to strong flavors like garlic, lemon, and pungent Parmigiano-Reggiano. The chopped anchovies lend depth and savor, not fishiness, to the dressing.

Many riffs on Caesar salad are too heavily dressed, but here a hefty handful of basil keeps things fresh and herbal.

Grilled avocado is one of those things that sound faintly ridiculous until you try it—then you wonder why you never had it before.

Prep in less than 10 minutes, but expect this high-protein meal to keep you full for hours.

Halloumi is a firm, mild Cypriot cheese. When grilled, it gets crisp outside, melty inside. Look for the cheese at supermarkets, specialty foods stores, natural foods stores, and igourmet.com.

You'll often see a Western-style salad on the menu at a restaurant in South Korea—in all likelihood, a result of the American presence there since World War II. Romaine retains a nice crunch, even after marinating in a hot dressing. Like the cucumber apple pickle , this dish adds a welcome splash of green to the table.

Side dishes made from fresh legumes, vegetables, and mint can be found all over Italy, but this quickly cooked version cuts down on labor by using frozen peas and artichoke hearts. It adds a bright touch of spring to cod’s meaty white flakes.

Editor's note: This recipe is from chef Wolfgang Puck. If you don't have a Caesar salad on your menu in California, the customers will rebel. For a zesty Provençal touch, the Caesar at Spago is served with croutons slathered with our homemade tapenade. When you can find baby romaine, use it. If you can't, trim the outer leaves of the larger variety and, if necessary, break them into bite-size strips.

Fresh mint and sliced cucumbers give this American-style salad a lightness that leaves you feeling satisfied, not stuffed.

Regardless of your foraging skills, you can experience the abundance of the woods with these delectable parcels, which combine the nutty chew of bulgur with rich toasted pine nuts, sweet currants, and smoky trout that could have come from a nearby brook—all neatly wrapped up in a lettuce leaf. And because they're so portable, you can easily enjoy them outdoors on a picnic blanket.

The keys to this fast, simple dish, which was inspired by a crab-stuffed tomato at Yves Camdeborde's Paris brasserie, Le Comptoir du Relais, are ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and excellent crabmeat.