Salad Dressing

Simply pour this rich dressing over wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce or quartered heads of romaine for a salad, or use it as a dip for crudités.

This layered salad is definitely stacked: Michael Taus, executive chef and owner of Zealous restaurant in Chicago, has piled in all the vitamins C and B12 you need for the day, as well as 50 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin A.

Fork to the bottom of your bowl and you'll put away six servings of veggies! You can thank Michael Dunn, chef at Yankee Pier Santana Row in San Jose, California.

This easy, elegant, and flavorful salad is delicious with a glass of dry Riesling.

Garlic and raisins blend beautifully in a dish that's a welcome substitute for the basic broccoli-and-butter side.

If using chicken halves, ask the butcher to bone them for you.

Our youth culture has even reached the green market: Baby vegetables are among the most sought-after produce, whether we buy them because they are sweeter and more tender than their full-grown counterparts or just because they look great on the plate. Seek out golden yellow, chioggia (an Italian heirloom variety that has white and pink rings inside), and Albino beets at farmers' markets.

Hedy's favorite cucumber salad and one she prepares often, it's particularly good with poached salmon, trout, pike, cod, almost any fish. Hedy says that cucumber salad is often paired with sausages and potato salad. "That's quite traditional."

Traditionally made from cow's or goat's milk and wrapped in chestnut leaves, Banon cheese is named after the town in northern Provence from which it hails. When the leaves are green, the cheese is fresh, mild, and sweet; when the leaves are brown, it is ripe and soft. Either way, it's a great complement to classic mesclun greens. In the spirit of Provence, we encourage you to bypass the ready-made mesclun mix and create your own blend of peppery, sweet, and tender baby lettuces from the array that you can find at the farmers market.

Improv: Substitute chopped red or yellow bell peppers for the tomatoes in the salad; try basil instead of cilantro in the dressing.

This salad is great for picnics. It has all the components of a family favorite: beautiful color, satisfying crunch, and a delicious dressing. The recipe is adapted from one developed by freelance recipe tester Penelope Hoblyn, who often makes the salad for large gatherings.

Asiago frico — easy-to-make crispy cheese wafers — top this salad. Look for tender young spinach at the farmers' market. In some areas, what you find at the farmers' market may be cheaper than what's available at the supermarket. If you have a first-rate extra-virgin olive oil and some sea salt in your cupboard, here's a chance to show them off.

This truly fabulous Vietnamese-inspired salad is the epitome of flavor synergy, combining sweet pineapple and fiery serrano with cooling cucumber and mint.

This is one of my everyday vinaigrettes. The wood aging of the sherry vinegar creates a wonderfully complex flavor that is enhanced by the walnut oil. Sherry vinegar is a little more expensive than red wine vinegar, but it has a higher acidity so you use less. Pair this dressing with strongly flavored salad greens, cheeses, nuts, and seasonal fruits, like in my Seasonal Country Salad.