It's easy to get in a reading rut. I always gravitate to books that deal with food in some regard. (My boyfriend jokes that he may just walk in one day and find me reading "a real book.") The same thing happens with blogs: I have my tried-and-true favorites and don't often stray, for lack of time more than curiosity. But I recently researched summer salads for a writing project and discovered a few beautiful blogs I hadn't known before. These folks specialize in developing stunning salad recipes. Ready to hear more? More

To me, at this moment in time, hiyashi chuka just makes sense. Not only is the Japanese chilled noodle salad absolutely refreshing – a must during these sweltering days of summer – but it also features the sweetest, crispest vegetables available at the market right now: tomatoes, corn, cucumbers. Plus a light and tangy sauce that takes no time to whip up. More

This salad, a riff on that beloved summer staple, tomato caprese, is so delightful, you may eschew tradition and go with this fruit-meets-savory composition all season long. I'm telling you, this meeting of flavors, textures and tastes is simple and heavenly. More

It took me a long time to warm up to quinoa. I felt like I was the only one not on the super-grain-(that's-not-really-a-grain-but-who-cares) bandwagon. But my attempts at quinoa had all turned out sticky and faintly bitter, a health food to choke down. So how did I get from there to here, to this lemon-scented golden salad with crunchy bits of cucumber, radish, and almonds? (There are dates, dill, and Parmesan in there too, plus a secret ingredient that really makes it sing.) It only takes one quinoa dish, it turns out, to make a difference. More

We showed up at the tail end of our CSA distribution this week and got a little more than we bargained for. Namely, a generous, extra helping (or four) of leafy greens. In trying to use up most of them, I combined a big pile of rainbow chard and all of our beets, and made this lovely little dish. It's dressed with a light vinaigrette and served room temperature, and the leftovers made an excellent lunch the next day. More

Q: Today I put together a salad of shaved summer squash, radish, and sugar snap peas after a trip to the local farm. Tossed with S&P, olive oil, and vinegar, and it's just too bland! Added chives, and still not quite right. What's a mellow dressing that can kick this up a bit without drowning the sweetness of the veggies?

Sent by Erica
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After years of world travel and dining out in everything from hole-in-the-wall joints in Laos to the finest finery of Paris's restaurants, the real food luxury for me when I travel now is to cook in, using the most simple ingredients, listening to local radio, and serving on the most grandmotherly plates.

Recently while on the road, I made a version of a salad that I love at the height of summer: shaved zucchini with Parmesan and olive oil. When it's too hot to cook and all you have is a vegetable and a hunk of cheese, this is your new go-to dish. More

Many people, myself included, will tell you that buying bagged, pre-washed lettuce mixes makes it easier to eat more salad. More organized folks will point out that washing and drying your own lettuce isn't that difficult and that bagged lettuce isn't always that safe. What's the best way to go? Well, the answer is complicated. More

It feels unoriginal, at the mid-point of summer, to complain about the weather. There are probably more important things to talk about. And yet, when the heat is cranked to 104° and its muggy weight presses down every time you step outdoors, it's hard to think about anything else. I know what I'm not thinking about: turning on the stove!

But we have to eat, so let's talk about salad. Let's talk about salads that are such thoroughly satisfying heaps of vegetables we can eat them for dinner, all by themselves. These salads have heft and crunch. They're ice-cold. And if you can bear to turn on the oven or stove for just a minute you can even top them with chicken or baked tofu. From broccoli slaw to kale salad, here are 15 ways to talk salad tonight and leave the weather behind. More

If any week were the week, this is most surely the one for macaroni, coleslaw and potato salad, those classic American side dishes that signal summer to so many. And while there are uncountable variations and favorite ways to fix each, a few simple tweaks can turn an average side dish into something quite extraordinary. More