That's why salads top my list of what I enjoy making for summer meals, whether just for ourselves or for guests. I'll often prepare three or four different salads when preparing a festive meal for company, and simply add some fresh bread and dessert. Salads can include anything and everything, as long as the ingredients are harmonious to both the palate and eye. Turn an ordinary lettuce and tomato salad into a Greek salad by adding crumbled feta cheese, cured black olives and a sharp vinaigrette. Any sort of grain that remains firm and separate when cooked makes a substantial, nutty-tasting base for a cold salad.
Brown rice is excellent, as is barley and bulgur wheat.
Everyone seems to love the classic Middle Eastern grain salad tabouleh, which combines bulgur with lots of chopped parsley and scallions, plus ripe tomatoes. And, no matter how superlative the results, they are often quite easy to prepare. Combine cooked cold angel hair pasta with diced fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, diced mozzarella cheese, and olive oil. Further, beans combined with grains or pasta are not only tasty but make the salad substantial enough to be a main dish. One of the most common of these is potato salad, a great summer favorite.