Salad

You could also serve it on its own with crackers or bread, or offer it as a relish for grilled chicken or fish. It can be made with black olives as well as with green.

Smoky vegetables, corn and brown rice are dressed with citrus vinaigrette.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Pomegranate seeds are a colorful, tangy garnish for this salad. The season for pomegranates comes to an end by mid-February, so plan ahead and buy one now (they keep for several weeks in the refrigerator). Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Franklin serves this dish like a green salad, but it's also

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round. Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

Smoked duck adds elegance to this salad. Smoked turkey would also work well.

Gorgonzola cheese adds zip to this salad.

Linda Forst of Mukilteo, Washington, writes: "I attended a conference in Anaheim, California, and went to dinner at Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar in Downtown Disney. The whole meal was outstanding, especially the 'compressed salad.'" For a "compressed" presentation, the chef uses a three-inch ring mold to mound the salad in the center of each plate. You can use a cleaned-out can, with top and bottom removed, as a mold.

"I am 76 and consider myself a very good cook," writes Dorothy Harley of Norco, California. "I've always looked forward to receiving your magazine. Some recipes I try, love, and make over and over. One recipe I remember most is a shrimp and avocado salad. For our 25th anniversary, I cleaned and cooked 25 pounds of shrimp myself for the dish — it was a hit. And for my daughter's wedding, 21 years ago, I made it again. I'm sure that if you reprinted the recipe, you'd receive praise." Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 25 hr (includes marinating)

Serve with crusty bread to sop up the juices.

Try this with ciabatta or whole wheat bread.

Even the ranch dressing gets a Cajun kick in this lively main-course salad.

Bacon drippings add extra flavor to the dressing. Crumble some Gorgonzola cheese over the finished salad for even more punch. Serve with: Tomato soup with a dash of Tabasco and corn bread squares. Dessert: Brownies topped with coffee ice cream.

If you can't find Thai anise basil and Thai lemon basil, you can substitute Italian basil and lemon balm (the latter is available at farmers markets and specialty produce stores).

The salty anchovies complement the briny sweetness of the crabmeat. Buttermilk lightens the dressing and makes this version of the classic Caesar especially delicious.