The queen of culinary cool says that if you want a killer salad, kick up the salt and ditch the unripe tomatoes.

"There are too many other delicious veggies you can use to rely on unripe tomatoes," Food Network star Anne Burrell said in a recent e-mail interview. "And if a salad isn’t dressed or seasoned properly, that’s also a problem for me."

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By J.M. HIRSCH

Patricia Wells wants her salads to have it all – fresh seasonal ingredients, bright colors, crunch and a bit of lean protein.

Well, almost all.

"I generally do not like fruit in my salads, though I do enjoy cantaloupe or watermelon from time to time," Wells, author of numerous cookbooks, including the just-released Salad as a Meal (William Morrow, 2011), said in an email interview.

And for Wells, salads don’t just make the meal, they can make it memorable.

"Any lobster or crab salad is delightfully memorable. I remember the first time I sampled the combination of crab and avocado at L’Astrance restaurant in Paris. I thought I had died and gone to heaven," she said. "To this day, it remains one of the greatest salad combinations I know."

For The Associated Press’ Salads of Summer series, Wells offered a recipe for ginger-sesame chicken salad with glass noodles.

"Ginger, sesame and glass noodles are a classic Asian combination, and the addition of chicken puts it in the healthy, lean protein category for me," she said.

"The bright, intense flavor of a good quality sesame oil makes this an elegant dish that takes very little effort, and the crunch of the scallions add that essential crunch."

Ginger and Sesame Chicken Salad with Glass Noodles

Serves: 4

2 tablespoons tamari or other Japanese soy sauce

4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons Chinese black rice vinegar

2 plump, moist garlic cloves, peeled, halved, green germ removed, and minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) cubed cooked chicken

3 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

7 ounces glass (cellophane) noodles

Fresh shiso leaves, cut into a chiffonade (or fresh cilantro leaves), for garnish

In a small jar, combine the tamari, sesame seeds, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and ginger. Cover and shake to blend. Taste for seasoning, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken and half the scallions. Toss with about half of the dressing, or just enough to moisten the ingredients evenly. Taste for seasoning.

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Do not salt the water. Add the glass noodles, swirl them in the water, and cook just until soft, about 1 minute. Drain, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Drain again.

In a second large bowl, toss the noodles with the remaining dressing. Place the seasoned noodles on large serving plates. Scatter the cubed chicken over the noodles, then garnish with the shiso or cilantro and the remaining scallions.

Recipe from Patricia Wells’ "Salad as a Meal," William Morrow, 2011

Today Wendy’s launches a lines of four new salads that replace their current $4 lineup.

The new apple pecan chicken salad.

The previous Garden Sensations line launched in 2002.

The company also is testing breakfast again across the country. Chief Marketing Officer Ken Calwell says he expects to know more about moving into that growing restaurant segment as early as later this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By STEPHANIE WITT SEDGWICK

I love the combination of orange, cucumber and avocado, especially when I start to tire of the taste of soft, long-cooked meats, root vegetables and such fruits as apples and pears.
My taste buds are longing for some bright flavors and textures.

Oranges provide the fast flavor burst; avocado gives balance; cucumbers give me the crunch I’m looking for.

In the past I’ve always added seafood to the mix to turn a simple side salad into an appetizer or a light lunch, and lately I’ve used poached salmon.

It takes under 15 minutes to prepare and offers me an alternative to baked fish during the months I can’t grill.

This salad depends on fresh flavors, so I want herbs in the mix as well. I’ve chosen parsley, a wonderfully assertive herb that is too often relegated to the status of garnish. Parsley is readily available in two varieties: curly leaf and flat Italian.

In cooking school we were taught to use the curly variety as a garnish and the flat version for flavor, but I’ve never really followed that prescription.

I like the strong parsley taste the curly leaf carries, so that’s the one I choose.

Salmon Salad with Orange, Cucumber and Avocado

Time: Start to finish 15 minutes
Makes 4 servings

1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 pound skin-on salmon fillets, cut into 2 pieces
Zest of 2 oranges
3 large navel oranges, peeled and cut into segments and any accumulated juice (see note)
1 medium (6-ounce) cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
1 avocado, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

In a medium pot, add enough water to come 4 inches up the side of the pot. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the white wine vinegar and bring the water to a boil.

Slip in the salmon fillets and adjust heat so the water just barely maintains a very slight boil. Cook until the salmon is done through, 8 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. When the salmon is done, transfer to plate to cool for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine half of the orange zest, the orange segments and any reserved juice, the cucumber, avocado, rice wine vinegar, oil, pepper, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of the parsley.

Stir to combine. Remove the skin from the cooked salmon and scrape any gray material off the salmon fillets. Gently break the salmon into pieces and add to the salad. Stir gently to combine.

Transfer the salad to a serving dish, top with remaining parsley and orange zest. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a day. If you refrigerate it, stir gently and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Note: To segment an orange or grapefruit, slice off the bottom and the top. Stand the fruit on a cutting board with one of the cut sides down.

Using a serrated knife cut the peel and the pith away from the fruit top to bottom. Then, holding the fruit in your hand cut the orange segments out from the membrane. (The idea is to leave behind all of the membrane and white pith.)

Per serving: 370 calories, 24 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 22 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 58 mg cholesterol, 827 mg sodium, 8 g dietary fiber, 12 g sugar

Healthful Diva 101: always have something delish waiting in the fridge, ready to pounce on after a booty-busting workout or a hard day of shopping. We love crunchy, savory, satisfying tastes, and this simple edamame (soybean) salad keeps us happy.

Edamame are in the freezer section of your grocery store, still in the pod or shelled.

And they pack a powerhouse of fiber and nutrition — a half cup has more protein than two eggs, and a generous dose of Vitamin C.

Stash this salad in the fridge as your go-to sustenance and watch the pounds melt away. With a piece of salmon or a chicken breast, this salad makes a meal.

Mama’s Edamame

2 cups shelled edamame
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
8 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional 

Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain completely; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, ginger and salt. Mix in remaining ingredients and toss with edamame. To serve, top with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

By RUSS PARSONS

Romaine with bacon, radishes and blue cheese dressing. (Kirk McKoy / The Los Angeles Times)

A lot of times when food writers praise an old-fashioned ingredient such as romaine lettuce, they do it with a nod and a wink and more than a hint of condescension, like fashion critics chortling when a Parisian couture house sends its models out dressed in gingham and lace — “Oh, how very droll!”

Not me. If food is good, it’s good and fashion be damned.

And romaine is good.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my fancy mesclun style lettuces as much as anyone — I’ve got a full bed of them in my garden and I trot out to cut my salad greens in the evening just as happily as any other Alice Waters acolyte. Those fancier lettuces have a vivid mix of flavors that I love. (I’ve got one Asian mustard that is hot as horseradish.)

But romaine has something they lack — crunch. And sometimes crunch counts. Those mixed lettuces are terrific with good olive oil, a squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt. But if you’re looking at a salad with more heft, a real American salad, you need a lettuce with some structural integrity.

Want a wedge of something to go under a creamy blue cheese dressing (lots of black pepper, please!)? How about a classic Green Goddess, redolent of anchovies, chives and tarragon? And, of course, you shouldn’t even think of a Caesar without picking up a head of romaine.
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Here’s a salad that combines the best of winter’s produce. I like the sweet beet flavor contrasting with the mildly bitter Belgian endive and the creamy, slightly pungent goat cheese. The vinaigrette includes balsamic vinegar and lemon juice that adds a more complex flavor to the dressing. I am a fan of grainy Dijon-style mustard (also called whole-grain mustard) in salad dressings because it adds texture, thickness and a savory flavor. This salad is a nice beginning to an elegant dinner.

Belgian endive, pronounced “on-DEEV” and identifiable by its tight stalk, is different from what English speakers often refer to as endive (pronounced “EN-dive”), which is a green leafy lettuce of the chicory family. Belgian endive stalks are most often used in salads but are also delicious baked or grilled.
California Belgian endive is now available across the nation and can be found in both a creamy pearl color and a ruby-red variety. For more information, visit www.endive.com.

Endive Salad with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese

Serves 4-6

2 whole beets

DRESSING:
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

SALAD:
8 Belgian endive, sliced thinly lengthwise
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°. Trim and scrub the beets. Place beets in a small roasting pan and add 1/4-inch of water. Cover pan with foil, place in oven and roast beets for 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. When cool enough to handle, use a small knife to remove skins. (If you have rubber gloves, use them so your hands don’t turn red; also put the beets on foil when you peel them to protect your countertop.) Cut into julienne slices and reserve.

Step 2: For the dressing, combine the shallot, mustard, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until blended. Add the salt and pepper, taste for seasoning and reserve.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, toss the endive with half of the dressing. Divide the endive among the individual plates; decorate with the beets and with the goat cheese. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

Advance preparation: This may be made through Step 2, covered and refrigerated up to 6 hours ahead.

You, the Winter Games devotee, have been glued to the tube since the XXI Olympic Winter Games skated into action Feb. 12.

And only a superfan can appreciate your desire to be there, even if being there means trekking through the slush in Vancouver, this year’s host city, where the creeping temps into the 40s and 50s threatened to make a sloppy mess of that beautiful, packed-to-the-gills coastal city.

Thankfully, you can enjoy an enhanced Olympic experience from the balmy comfort of your South Florida home. For you, we offer a slate of delicious, albeit kitschy, Olympics-inspired recipes to carry you through to the closing ceremony on Feb. 28.

Let the games carry on!

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Part aromatic stew, part finger food, cioppino (pronounced chuh-PEE-no) is a mouthwatering mélange of fresh seafood that originated on the docks of romantic San Francisco, and is adored ’round the globe as bouillabaisse in France, brodetto in Italy and suquet de peix in coastal Spain.

Start your evening’s affair with a sip of seductive sauvignon blanc and elegant simplicity — a gorgeous spring green salad dressed to impress in a light French vinaigrette (you’ll never buy bottled again). Luxuriate in the tastes and textures of soft lettuce leaves and creamy-white goat cheese. Then slurp your way to a lusty, aphrodisiac buzz as you share a bowl of cioppino, trading sauce-soaked wedges of crusty sourdough bread and sips of wine.

Cioppino recalls the raucous days of the California gold rush, and we imagine rugged Italian and Portuguese immigrants pulling their catch from the icy waters of the Pacific to "chip in" a bit of this, a bit of that, comprising a communal brew of all things yum.

It only sounds decadent. Our recipe for romance is actually good for your sweetheart—and your sweetheart’s heart. Lean protein, antioxidants and monounsaturated fats will keep your hearts beating as one for all eternity. And even as the last mussel is teased from its smooth, ebony shell, you’ll be satisfied, but not too stuffed for post-prandial fun.

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Who said that dinner has to be an ordeal? Multiple courses are for teensy people with lots of time and gravy boats. Sometimes it’s all about quick and fabulous — a small perfect something that nourishes body, mind and spirited taste buds.

Now more than ever, there are tons of ready-made gourmet goodies winking from ordinary supermarket shelves. Four such items comprise this beguiling, pantry-savvy salad.

Ready-cooked beets, a hassle to roast and peel (and not optimal canned), are now available in vacuum-sealed packets in most produce departments. Fresh, firm, earthy and sweet, we love them tossed with fire-roasted red bell peppers and crumbled Gorgonzola.

A dark, gooey drizzle of best-quality aged balsamic makes this winter salad sing in, what, two tantalizing minutes?

Beet and Roasted

Red Pepper Salad

Serves 4

4 whole fire-roasted red bell peppers, preferably packed in oil, halved

8 beets, thinly sliced

1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Best-quality aged balsamic vinegar, to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Fresh basil, to garnish

Divide the peppers onto four plates, scattering about 2 sliced beets per plate with 1/4 cup of the Gorgonzola. Drizzle to taste with balsamic, adding freshly cracked black pepper and fresh basil leaves, to garnish.