APPLE-WALNUT SALAD WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped red onion 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 cup vegetable oil 10 cups mixed baby greens 2 Red Delicious apples, cored, thinly sliced 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Puree cranberries in processor until smooth. Add vinegar, onion, sugar and mustard and process until well blended. With processor running, gradually add oil and process until well blended. Transfer to medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature and whisk before using.) Combine greens and apples in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately. Serves 6. You can sprinkle a bit of blue cheese on it for variation....also, a couple tablespoons of the cranberry dressing when made with olive oil is great tossed over fresh gorgonzola raviolis. Chicken Papaya Salad with Cantonese Vinaigrette Ingredients 4 ounces of chicken (cooked) 2 ounces Bibb lettuce 1/2 ounce radicchio 1 ounce leaf lettuce 1/4 papaya 2 ounces Cantonese Vinaigrette 1 ounce shaved coconut Combine chicken, lettuce and papaya. Add salad dressing and sprinkle shaved coconut over the top. Cantonese Vinaigrette can be found on my Vinaigrette page. ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH SWEET BALSAMIC VINEGAR 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch pieces 1 small red bell pepper, diced 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted Boil vinegar in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Pour vinegar into large bowl. Whisk in oil, mustard, marjoram and garlic. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Cook asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again. Add asparagus and bell pepper to dressing; toss to blend well. Sprinkle with pecans and serve. Serves 4. ASIAN BOW-TIE PASTA SALAD WITH SHRIMP AND VEGETABLES 1/2 cup peanut oil 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 1/3 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper 12 ounces cooked peeled deveined medium shrimp 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 large broccoli stalks, stems peeled and thinly sliced, florets reserved 12 ounces bow-tie pasta 8 green onions, chopped Whisk first 6 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer half of dressing to large bowl. Mix in shrimp and bell peppers; let marinate 15 minutes. Cook broccoli stems and florets in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to sieve and drain. Cook pasta in same pot of boiling water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain; rinse with cold water until cool and drain again. Add broccoli, pasta and green onions to shrimp mixture. Toss with enough additional dressing to coat. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours and serve cold. Serves 6. AVOCADO, ORANGE, AND JICAMA SALAD 3 navel oranges 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium jícama (about 3/4 pound) 2 firm-ripe California avocados With a sharp knife cut peel and pith from oranges. Working over a bowl, cut sections free from membranes and squeeze enough juice from membranes to measure 1/4 cup. In a bowl whisk together orange juice, curry powder, salt, cumin, sugar, and vinegar. Add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified. Peel jícama and halve lengthwise. Thinly slice jícama crosswise and add to vinaigrette, tossing to combine. Halve, pit, and peel avocados and thinly slice crosswise. Lift jícama from vinaigrette and arrange on 4 plates with orange sections and avocado. Pour remaining vinaigrette over and around salads. Serves 4. BEAN-THREAD NOODLE AND VEGETABLE SALAD Ingredients For Dressing: 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons Sherry 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil Ingredients for salad: 1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 pound bean-thread (cellophane) noodles 1 1/2 pounds Napa cabbage (about 1/2 medium head) 1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed 1 large red bell pepper 2 cups finely shredded carrot (about 3) 4 scallions, sliced thin 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted golden Make dressing: In a small saucepan stir together all dressing ingredients except sesame oil until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring dressing to a boil, stirring, and simmer, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Cool dressing completely and stir in sesame oil. Dressing may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Discard mushroom stems and cut caps into thin slices. In a large non-stick skillet heat vegetable oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté mushrooms, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 5 minutes. On a platter chill mushrooms in one layer 15 minutes, or until cool. In a saucepan bring 6 cups water to a boil and remove pan from heat. Stir in noodles and soak 15 minutes. Drain noodles well in a colander and with scissors cut into 6-inch lengths. While noodles are soaking, cut cabbage crosswise into fine shreds and snow peas diagonally into slivers. Cut bell pepper into julienne strips. In a large bowl toss together noodles, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, scallions, and dressing. Serve salad sprinkled with sesame seeds. Makes 4 Servings. BLACK BEAN AND BELL PEPPER SALAD Vinaigrette 1/2 cup water 16 dates (about 4 ounces), pitted, finely chopped 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons dried oregano 4 teaspoons honey 4 teaspoons ground cumin 4 teaspoons ground coriander Salad 4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped red onion 1/4 cup chopped fresh Cilantro For Vinaigrette: Boil water and dates in heavy small saucepan for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour to soften. Transfer date mixture to blender. Add lime juice, oil, oregano, honey, cumin and coriander and purée. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before using.) For salad: Combine beans, bell peppers, onion and Cilantro in large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Serves 8. CHICKEN AND ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD 6 small beets (about 1 pound), trimmed 1/3 cup plus 4 teaspoons olive oil 6 small red potatoes (about 3/4 pound) 2 zucchini (about 1 pound) 4 medium carrots 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves 2 cups shredded cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken 1 small head frisée or other curly endive or escarole, quartered Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel beets and cut into 3/4-inch wedges. In a bowl toss beets with 1 teaspoon oil to coat and in one end of a shallow baking pan spread in one layer. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch-thick slices. In another bowl toss potatoes with 1 teaspoon oil to coat and at other end of baking pan spread in one layer, making sure that potatoes do not touch beets (beets will bleed). Cut zucchini diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices and cut slices lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide sticks. In a bowl toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon oil to coat and in one end of another shallow baking pan spread in one layer. Cut carrots diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices. In a bowl toss carrots with 1 teaspoon oil to coat and at the other end of second baking pan spread in one layer. In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, parsley, remaining 1/3 cup oil, and salt to taste. Bake vegetables in oven 5 minutes, or until zucchini is just tender, and transfer zucchini to a shallow bowl. Bake remaining vegetables, testing them every 5 minutes, 10 to 15 minutes more, or until tender, and transfer as cooked to separate shallow bowls. Stir dressing and spoon about 1 tablespoon over each vegetable, tossing to coat. In a bowl toss chicken with remaining dressing. Arrange vegetables and salad greens on a platter and mound chicken in middle. Alternatively, vegetables, chicken, and dressing may be tossed together, but beets will bleed. Serve salad at room temperature. Serves 2 or 3. CRAB SALAD WITH HEARTS OF PALM Ingredients: 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup bottled chili sauce 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/4 cup minced green bell pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon drained bottled horseradish a dash of Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup chopped drained canned hearts of palm 1 pound lump crab meat, picked over watercress, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and spun dry, for lining the platter. Seedless cucumber slices as an accompaniment Toasted pita wedges as an accompaniment In a bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, the chili sauce, the scallion, the parsley, the bell pepper, the lemon juice, the horseradish, the Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste, fold in the hearts of palm and the crab meat, and combine the mixture gently but thoroughly. The crab salad may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Transfer the crab salad to a platter lined with the watercress and serve it with the cucumber slices and the pita wedges. Makes about 4 cups. ARTICHOKE AND FENNEL SALAD 2 fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds) two 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered or, if large, cut into eighths 2 tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup pitted Nicoise or other brine-cured black olives 1 ounce (about 3) flat anchovy fillets, drained, minced, and mashed to a paste 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon dried orégano, crumbled 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled freshly ground pepper to taste Trim the feathery tops from the fennel bulbs, reserving several for garnish, and trim the stalks to the point where they meet the bulb, reserving them for another use. Quarter the bulbs, discarding the core, and slice the quarters thin crosswise. In a large bowl combine the fennel, the artichoke hearts, the tomatoes, and the olives. In a bowl whisk together the anchovy past, the oil, the lemon juice, the orégano, and the thyme. Toss the fennel mixture with the dressing, season it with the pepper and salt, and garnish the salad with the reserved fennel tops. Serves 6. ARUGULA PESTO POTATO SALAD 2 pounds boiling potatoes (preferably yellow-fleshed), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces 1 cup packed, washed and spun dry arugula leaves 2 tablespoons pine nuts 3 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmeasan 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar In a steamer set over boiling water steam the potatoes, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just tender, transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool to room temperature. In a blender purée the arugula with the pine nuts, the oil, the Parmesan, Balsamic Vinegar, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste, add the pesto to the potatoes, and combine the salad well. Serves 6.