• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large cucumbers
• 3 green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts

In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, crushed red pepper, and salt. Set the dressing aside.Peel and slice the cucumber using your favorite method (see photos below for my technique). Place the sliced cucumbers in a large bowl.Chop the peanuts into smaller pieces. Slice the green onions.Add the peanuts, green onions, and dressing to the sliced cucumbers. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

• 2 pounds red potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt, for boiling the potatoes
• 12 ounces bacon
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, about 3 large cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

• Scrub the potatoes and cut any large potatoes in half so that all of the potatoes are approximately equally sized. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender when stabbed with a fork. Drain the water. Leaving the potatoes in the pot, return the pot to the still-hot (but turned off) burner. Leave the lid off of the pot and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a couple minutes.
• Set another large pot over medium heat and, using kitchen shears, cut the bacon strips into approximately 1-inch pieces directly into the pot. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy. While the bacon is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices, cutting any extremely large slices in half. Set aside. Once the bacon is done, remove the pot from the stove and use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces to a plate or bowl while leaving the bacon grease in the pot (I had about 1/4 cup).
• Slowly and carefully add vinegar, sugar, Dijon, salt, and pepper to the pot of bacon grease. Place the pot back on the burner, bring the mixture to a simmer, and stir for a couple of minutes. Stir the minced garlic into the mixture and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the garlic starts to turn a light golden. Remove the pot from the heat and toss in the sliced potatoes, gently mixing until potatoes have absorbed all of the liquid. Carefully fold in the cooked bacon pieces and chopped parsley. Transfer the potato salad to a serving dish and serve hot or warm. Potato salad should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours before refrigerating any leftovers.

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds red cabbage (1 small head or half of a large one), sliced thin
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. lime or lemon juice
• Salt and red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped or sliced
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled into chunks
• 1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp. well-toasted sesame seeds

Toss cabbage with olive oil and first tablespoons of lime juice, plus salt and pepper, coating leaves evenly. Taste and add more lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. I do this a few times, making sure I really get this base well seasoned because it will be hard to do it as well later.

Toss dressed cabbage gently with half of dates and feta. Sprinkle with remaining dates, then feta, then parsley and sesame seeds.

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10-15 cranks freshly cracked pepper
• 1/2 lb chopped kale (about one bunch)
• 1 medium granny smith apple
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnut halves

1. Rinse the kale well in a colander under cool running water. Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.

2. In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth.

3. Wash the apple and slice it into thin wedges, or dice it into cubes. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then add it to a large bowl along with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Starting with just half, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired

• 1.5 lb. small red-skinned potatoes
• 1 sweet yellow pepper
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 4 oz. sugar snap peas
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

1. Boil potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender
2. Drain; let cool slightly and halve
3. Cut yellow pepper into chunks
4. Whisk together oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper
5. Toss potatoes, peppers and onions with half of the dressing;  let cool
6. Cook peas for 1 minute
7. Just before serving, add peas, dill and remaining dressing

• 3 cans mixed beans
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 can corn
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. grainy or Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots, from one medium shallot
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 Haas avocados, chopped

1. Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

6 large carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups (500 mL) cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup (60 mL) camelina or extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp (45 mL) apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped parsley
4 spring onions (white part only), minced
2 tsp (10 mL) dried dill, crushed with fingers
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Topping

1/2 cup (125 mL) sesame seeds
3/4 cup (180 mL) plain yogurt
2 Tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
pinch of salt

Steam carrots until just tender. In large salad bowl, combine all salad ingredients and mix well. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, grind sesame seeds in blender or food processor. Combine ground sesame seeds with remaining topping ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. If mixture appears too thick, thin with a little bit of water. Chill in refrigerator until ready to assemble the whole salad.

To serve, divide salad equally among 6 salad plates and top each serving with generous dollop of sesame seed topping.

2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)

Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. (P.S. My favorite way to prep the stems is to peel them — the tough skin is why most people think they don’t like broccoli stems; the broccoli underneath is juicy and crisp — then use the mandoline or a knife to cut them into thin slices.)

Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.