Long ago, many years before fat-free blue cheese dressing and
packaged croutons, when humans were merely modest players on the
Earth, animals among animals, we ate leaves. Massive quantities of
them, scattered with the occasional handful of sweet, ripe berries or
tender young nuts and seeds. Leaves, greens, foliage of all sorts,
unadulterated and brilliant in their raw glory, were the natural and
convenient basis of the human diet.

So it came to pass in the days of ancient Babylon that an ancient
but far-sighted foodie doused an earthenware dish of grasses and
herbs with oil and vinegar (at least, that\u2019s the rumor). Thus was the
salad born. It remained popular throughout the ages in its simplest
incarnation of greens and dressing, making its way onto ancient tables
and into classic literature, beginning with Shakespeare\u2019s Antony and

days, when I was green in judgment, cold in blood,\u201d to explain her youthful indiscretions with Julius Caesar who, coincidentally or not, was the namesake for one of our most popular dressings.

These early dishes of greens, oil and vinegar defined salads for
hundreds of years until the French, bless their hearts, invented
mayonnaise more than 200 years ago. A creamier era of dressings was
born, prompting creative twists on salads. For hundreds of years,

people enjoyed robust, meaningful salads with such creative additions as marigold blossoms, rose petals, celery root, truffles and hard-boiled eggs.

Then in the 1940s, an enterprising botanist at the USDA
developed iceberg lettuce, which gained such enormous promotion
that 95 percent of the production and consumption of all lettuces was
comprised of iceberg. As if by some unwritten code, salads were
uniformly composed of piles of this uninspired stuff, strewn with pale

In the early \u201880s, fern bars were invented; with them came the
advent of arugula, heirloom tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and the
reinvention of salads. Nutrition became a national sport, and health
food stores sprang up like Starbucks Coffee Shops. Salads were
redefined in the United States, and a new era of salads-as-actual-foods
began.

Which brings me to my point: salads that serve as entrees when
the weather\u2019s too steamy to even consider turning on the stove. If
you\u2019re like me, a bowl of Romaine lettuce won\u2019t cut it for dinner. I like a
salad with substance, something that\u2019s more than a handful of flimsy
leaves peeking demurely from beneath a drizzle of low-fat dressing.
Make a salad that makes a statement, with layers of interesting flavors

Start with lively lettuces. Everyone's over mesclun mix, and
Romaine is so \u201890s. Mix it up a little: marry the tangy bite of dandelion
greens or the pale, bitter crunch of frisee with a mild lettuce, like baby
oak leaf, red leaf or bibb. Toss in some Belgian endive or watercress for
texture and a crisp, zingy flavor. Add fresh herbs--a handful of coarsely
chopped basil or cilantro, oregano or thyme leaves\u2014for a clean,
fragrant lift.

Load up your leaves with interesting ingredients, like thinly sliced
fennel, asparagus, pomegranate seeds, artichoke hearts, grated celery
root, raw garden peas or corn kernels, chunks of mango or avocado,
grilled figs, tiny yellow pear tomatoes, wild mushrooms or Moroccan
olives. Try different presentations of salad standards: slice peppers into
ultra-thin strips, cut English cucumbers into half-moons, cut carrots
into confetti. Then toss in water chestnuts, cubes of jicama, raw
almonds or sunflower seeds to add crunch instead of croutons.

A layer of garbanzo, kidney or black beans adds protein, fiber
and substance. Or toss in a few shrimp, chunks of fish, or strips of
organic beef or chicken. Use a small amount of cheese\u2014bleu, goat
cheese, feta, grated asiago or small cubes of manchego\u2014for an
unexpected bite. After your salad is constructed, scatter the top with a
handful of edible flowers, basil leaves or chopped hazelnuts.