Quick, satisfying salad suppers - includes recipes

Sunset, May, 1996 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

Start with ready-to-use greens and eat in 30 minutes or less

Saving time sells. Note the space that washed, trimmed, and dried lettuces and other tender ready-to-use salad leaves now command in produce sections. And these greens move out as briskly as they arrive - but not always to play the obvious role of salad.

Embellished with meat, grains, pasta, and extra seasonings, the ready-to-use leaves make wholesome foundations for fast, easy, and filling main dishes.

Each recipe suggests a specific salad green or mix, but if that one is not available, substitute another that is similar. Check the expiration dates on packaged salad greens - these foods are quite perishable. Leaves sold in bulk get handled and misted, so give them a quick rinse and a spin-dry.

Fiesta Beef Salad

Prep time: About 25 minutes Makes: 3 servings

1/2 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (11 oz.) Mexican-style corn, drained

4 Roma tomatoes (about 4 oz. each), cut into wedges

8 cups (10 to 12 oz.) iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, radish salad mix

6 ounces thinly sliced roasted lean beef or turkey, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine orange juice, vinegar, cayenne, sugar, cilantro, beans, corn, tomatoes, and salad mix. Mix well.

2. With a slotted spoon, distribute salad mix equally on 3 dinner plates. Mix beef with any remaining dressing in bowl, and mound on top of salads. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 360 cal., 24% (86 cal.) from fat; 26 g protein; 9.5 g fat (3.1 g sat.); 47 g carbo.; 651 mg sodium; 46 mg chol.

Greek Tabbouleh Salad

Cooking time: About 8 minutes

Prep time: About 20 minutes

Notes: In this country, the French salad mix called mesclun is often labeled as European or spring mix. The salad typically contains small, tender leaves of arugula, various lettuces, watercress, dandelion greens, and chervil.

Makes: 3 servings

2/3 cup bulgur wheat

1 jar (6 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 can (about 15 oz.) garbanzos, rinsed and drained

1 cucumber (6 oz.), ends trimmed and thinly sliced

2 quarts (about 5 oz.) mesclun

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Salt and pepper

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Stir in bulgur; cover and simmer over low heat until tender to bite, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, drain marinade from artichokes into a small bowl. Add vinegar, mint, oil, and 2 tablespoons water.

3. Pour bulgur into a fine wire strainer to drain, rinse with cold water until cool, and drain well.

4. Mix 1/3 cup vinegar-mint dressing with garbanzos, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and salad greens. Mound salad equally on 3 dinner plates.

5. Mix remaining dressing with bulgur. Mound equally onto greens. Sprinkle with cheese; add salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving: 395 cal., 43% (171 cal.) from fat; 13 g protein; 19 g fat (4.2 g sat.); 47 g carbo.; 625 mg sodium; 13 mg chol.

Chinese Shrimp Salad

Cooking time: About 10 minutes

Prep time: About 5 minutes

Notes: To thaw peas quickly, put them in a colander and rinse with hot water. Makes: 3 servings

1 cup (3 1/2 oz.) dried small pasta shells

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes

2 quarts (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves

1 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

6 ounces tiny shelled cooked shrimp

1. In a 3- to 4-quart pan, bring about 1 1/2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, and cook just until barely tender to bite, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta, immerse in cold water until cool, and drain again.

2. Mix vinegar, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, and chili. Measure 3 tablespoons of this dressing into a large bowl, add spinach, and mix. Mound spinach equally on 3 dinner plates.

3. To bowl, add remaining dressing, pasta, peas, and shrimp; mix. Mound equally on spinach. Drizzle salads with leftover dressing.

Per serving: 273 cal., 10% (28 cal.) from fat; 21 g protein; 3.1 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 40 g carbo.; 1,126 mg sodium; 111 mg chol.