Angie, I can't wait for the salad cookbook you write (after you write your best-selling style book)!

I totally agree about toasting the seeds and nuts, and about using Roma tomatoes (assuming there's no fresh-grown tomatoes in the garden on the vine), and about throwing in fresh herbs. Also agree about the frisee - although around here you can only seem to buy it in a pre-washed spring salad mix for some odd reason. Not that I'm complaining - saves time.

Brianna - that salad sounds awesome; how do you make your own honey-glazed pecans? Just coat in honey and toast? Or is there more to it?

Inge - for roasted veggies, a few times a week I toss veggies (green beans & asparagus I did just tonight) with a little olive oil and sea salt, spread on a cookie sheet, and roast at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. I make enough for dinner AND for cold salads for a day or two afterwards. Nothing could be easier. Roasting is my favorite way to cook veggies.

You can also throw in some whole garlic cloves - and even nuts - on the same cookie sheet and roast it all together if you like. Squeeze the garlic cloves and mush them with a fork and toss with the veggies, and let sit in the fridge to marinate overnight. It makes salad assembly the next day incredibly easy.

Capers! Capers are great in salads if you like a salty punch! And olives too... I love olives of all kinds.

Arwwh, thanks Shiny. I'm blushing :0)

More fab combos. Great!

cc and Shiny, we are on the same wavelength with roasting vegetables. Try roasting asparagus, courgette and red peppers too. I love serving them hot on top of cold salad.

Not quite SusanD - *chuckle*

Peppadews are tiny sweet and hot peppers. Delicious! They are best jarred or fresh from the delicatessen.

Try steaming corn and edamame and putting those into the salad once they are cold. KILLER. Red beats and gorgonzola is a win. So is pear with gorgonzola.

Olives I like to serve on the side. They are wasted in a salad and deserve pride of place all on their own!

Perhaps I should start a new thread on cheese. Oh my. That subject might send me over the edge.

Cheese!! Yes please.

Roasted peppers, asparagus and zucchini, a little roasted red onion, and if you are not a vegan/vegetarian a thinly sliced beef or salmon with a balsamic dressing. Sprinkle on blue cheese and roasted walnuts.
An incredibly decadent salad - I forgot to mention the baby romaine it goes on.

Ooh--I'm making a big list of all these ideas! I think we might eat salads for dinner for the next few weeks! I love salad for dinner in the summer.

Shiny, for the pecans, I soak raw pecans (I try to avoid roasting nuts when I can because it destroys a lot of their nutritional value) overnight and then drain, rinse, and toss with honey and a bit of spice--I like chipotle chili powder and salt. I LOVE the sweet/salty/spicy combo. Then I dehydrate for about 24 hours in my dehydrator until they are sticky but the nuts inside are dry. You could just coat any regular pecans and roast them in the oven though, I bet! Super easy. I just finished mine and need to make some more.

Love this thread! I can't wait to try your dressing. I've done something similar but not with the soy sauce and love that addition.
In order to have roasted veggies and not heat up the oven we throw them on the grill and make extras when grilling anything. I have a wok with holes in it and a finer mesh flat piece that both work for smaller or chopped veggies. Besides the usual peppers and summer squashes and onions, we grill slices of beets, slices of sweet potatoes, asparagus, peach halves, corn on the cob, etc. I just toss or brush them in a little olive oil first and sometimes sprinkle on herbs. Extras cold are wonderful added to salads.
We also bake bread and make pizza on our basic, nothing fancy grill.