Salad

This salad is easy because you begin with store-bought roasted chicken.

Inner radicchio leaves make the best cups.

Be sure not to overcook the bacon. Seven minutes is just right.

Sweet caramelized butternut squash plays well with peppery arugula in this hearty dinner salad.

You might expect to find smoked duck breast in a sultry, sensual main-course salad like this one, but here we use smoked turkey, which makes it a lot more affordable and a little bit more robust. Both good things.

This satisfying vegetarian combo—a black-eyed-pea salad with tomatoes; orzo tossed with olives, red onion, and cucumber; and salty crumbles of feta cheese—sings of the Aegean sun.

Chunks of chorizo balance the sweetness of spring onions, beans, and peas. A Sherry vinaigrette lends a slight Iberian edge.

Fresh ricotta is sold in cheese shops and specialty delis.

The lime juice keeps the avocados from discoloring.

The squid in this entrée is tender and picks up the flavors it's cooked with.

Of course, you can always take a simple store-bought rotisserie chicken to a picnic, but this Indian spin is way more fun. We love the chickpea layer so much that we make it even when there's no picnic planned.

Coleslaw on the grill? Absolutely. It makes the cabbage and green onions tender and adds just a bit of smoky flavor.

This entire dish (salad and dressing) can be made and assembled up to eight hours ahead. The trick? A layer of zucchini slices keeps the rest of the ingredients separated from the dressing until you're ready to toss and serve.

In this side dish, the vegetables are dressed in a classic red wine vinaigrette. Chiles add smoky heat.

In North Carolina, the coleslaw is tangy and not too sweet, with no mayonnaise in sight.

Summery and light, this vivid salad and its tangy dressing help balance the tuna and its rich glaze. Salting the zucchini slices takes the edge off their rawness while preserving their pleasant snap.

You can practically live on this salad in sultry weather. It tastes bright and fresh and is satisfying without being heavy.

This finely chopped slaw has just the right balance of sweet and tart. It goes on top of the pulled pork, not alongside it.

To be safe, we boil the egg for 1 minutes rather than use it raw.

This is a great excuse to get outside and grill—and an even better excuse to have smoky kielbasa for dinner. A vinegary potato salad adds a welcome note of acidity while making this a meal in itself.