Easy

This crisp salad is a delightful accompaniment to many Asian-style grain, noodle, tofu, or seitan dishes. I recommend it quite often throughout the book.

Years ago, as vegetarians, my husband and I traveled through the American heartland, and I remember sampling a traditional salad whose main ingredients are green peas and Cheddar cheese. I expanded this basic formula (as well as the foggy memory) into a recipe that includes pasta, making it more substantial.

The word daikon actually comes from two Japanese words, dai (large) and kon (root). And that’s just what it is. Daikon radish, a large white root vegetable, is often served grated in small quantities with Asian meals, since it’s considered a good digestive aid. I often combine it with one or two other vegetables—if one, that would be carrots, as presented here, and if two, I’ll also grate any broccoli stem I’ve saved in the fridge. It’s a refreshing little salad that goes with just about any kind of meal.

The ingredients of salade Niçoise—green beans, white beans, ripe tomatoes, and cured olives—join forces with pasta to make a delectable cold dish. Baked tofu stands in for tuna, another standard Niçoise ingredient.

Here’s another good way to utilize root vegetables raw; the dressing adds a rich, delicious flavor.

Like the previous recipe, the combination of grains and beans in this salad makes it an ideal centerpiece for a meal.

This colorful mélange of flavors and textures is easy enough for a weeknight meal, yet gorgeous enough to impress guests.

Bursting with Southwestern flavors, this salad is as delicious as it is easy.

Crunchy and colorful, this is an appealing presentation for cold Asian noodles.

This spicy, nutty salad is an amalgam of Indonesian and Thai-influenced ingredients and seasonings.

This was inspired by one of my favorite dishes at Veggie Heaven in Teaneck, New Jersey, an all-vegan Chinese-style eatery. It’s quite unlike their signature mock meat dishes, and really, quite unlike anything I have ever eaten in an Asian restaurant.

I’ll always have a pleasant association with this classic Indonesian salad platter, as it was the first meal I had on my first trip to Paris. The tiny, cozy Indonesian restaurant was right next door to our hotel, and coming straight from an all-night flight, my friend Wendy and I were too tired to venture further before a meal and a nap. Served with plenty of rice, the salad (which always combines raw and lightly cooked vegetables) made for a filling and memorable meal. Here’s my Americanized, but still appealing interpretation.

Potatoes and black beans synergize nicely in this offbeat salad. The liquid from the artichoke hearts provides plenty of flavor.

This recipe is one I’ve used for a long time, though oddly, it has never made it into any of my books until now. It’s an attractive, fast main dish salad that can be made all year round (now that fresh herbs of all kinds are always available in any supermarket), though I still prefer serving it during warmer months. Leftovers of this salad are delicious in a wrap the next day for lunch or dinner.

This is one of my favorite things to make in the late summer—a gorgeous platter that’s really less work than it may seem at first glance. It’s an extravaganza of flavor, and though it’s perfect for late summer or early fall, with these particular veggies there’s no reason you can’t make it year-round.

A feast of color and texture, this salad is, in a word, dazzling. As the centerpiece of a meal, it’s a pleasure to make and serve, ready in minutes.

Bountiful, easy, and filling, these quesadillas entice with the combination of traditional and offbeat ingredients

When I first blogged about big quesadillas, a number of readers commented about their own fillings. My favorite was this one from Monica Clark-Robinson, an avid and creative cook.

Pizza Margherita is a simple classic, emphasizing fresh tomatoes and basil. This version takes the concept a bit further with a few extra embellishments. It’s a wonderful pizza for late summer or for cool summer evenings when you don’t mind turning on the oven.

Big quesadillas make a filling one-dish meal that is easily completed with a salad on the side. Here is the first of a trio of such fare.