Am I showing my age with the Seinfeld reference?!

OK Salads are perfect for when it’s hot. But I know salads also take a lot of work! They require chopping – lots of chopping! So cheat. Buy prechopped stuff or those salad kits. I would often supplement the salad kits with heads of lettuce or greens and mix them together.

Epicure has lots of great helpers for taking salads up a notch. Everyone loves ranch dressing and homemade is better and better for you.

Other ideas:

• fresh fruit
• nuts and seeds
• beans
• leftover meat
• feta or goat cheese
• olives
• cooked, but cooled, veggies
• grains like quinoa or bulgar wheat
• add funny faces to the top
• eat it with chopsticks
• splurge on fancy vinegars
• add easy proteins
• separate ingredients for fancy presentation
• other added proteins