A Kitchen Sink Salad

Approximate quantities: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumber, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1-2” cubes, and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, 1 medium watermelon radish sliced into thin crescents, 1 lb of ground turkey browned with scallions and red chili flakes, 1 cup of cooked rice, and 1 16-ounce can on black bean, drained drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, and hot sauce

My only note about assembling this is, I browned the ground turkey — actually my Mom did — just before we were going to eat, and then once it was cooked through, she added 1 cup of cold, cooked rice and the black beans to pan to warm them and bring the flavors together and then we tossed this mixture warm into the salad.

Serves 4 as a main.

Another Too Hot To Cook Salad

Approximate Quantities: 1 head of romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 3 carrots, sliced into thin disks; 1/2 of an English [seedless] cucumber, sliced into thin crescents; 6 French breakfast radishes, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 2 ears of grilled silver queen corn; 2 artichokes, quartered; 10 slices of halloumi, toasted in a non-stick frying pan; drizzled with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Cholula chili lime, salt and pepper to taste

Serves four as a appetizer and two as a main.

Tortilla-less Tortilla Salad

An all Trader Joe's middle-of-a-busy-week-tortilla salad minus the tortilla. But if you have chips around, toss them in!

Approximate quantities: 3-4 cups of chopped kale; 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice; 1 cup black beans; 3 carrots, sliced into thin disks; ½ of a cucumber, sliced into thin disks; 1 avocado, cubed; 1 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, ends trimmed; 2 cups of grilled chicken breast, roughly chopped; drizzled with olive oil, Cholula's chili lime hot sauce, salt, pepper, and grated Tillamook cheddar cheese

Serves four as an appetizer or two as a main.