Lettuce

"I'm a social worker running my own practice," writes Susan Haskell of Boston, Massachusetts. "In addition, I'm getting a doctorate in social work. So most of my time is spent either working with patients or writing my dissertation. Still, no matter what's on my schedule, nothing can stop me from going into the kitchen. During the week, I make the time to pore over food magazines to find recipes I want to try. On Saturdays, I cook for friends — because next to cooking, sharing the results is my favorite thing to do." The spicy mayonnaise adds a nice kick.

Steve Silverman of South Burlington, Vermont, writes: "In my cooking I tend to be very quick and health-conscious. During the summer, my wife, Mary, and I usually grill chicken or fish and make salads. I'll use whatever fresh vegetables and ingredients I have on hand and come up with a wonderful meal for the two of us." To make this a substantial main course, add 1 1/4 pounds cooked shrimp.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Note: To slice the cucumber in the following recipe into a paper-thin spiral, we used a Japanese rotary device known as the Benriner vegetable slicer.

Miso, a fermented soybean paste, can be found in Asian markets, specialty foods stores and in the Asian section of most supermarkets. It is usually sold in plastic tubs and has a long shelf life.

Potatoes are tossed with a rich mustard dressing and served atop a bed of crisp lettuce in this unusual and delicious salad.

This tangy homemade dressing keeps a few days when chilled, and is also great for turkey sandwiches, coleslaw and deviled eggs.

We particularly liked this sandwich on slipper-shaped ciabatta bread, although any type of soft Italian bread is suitable.

In the West Indies, salads are rarely leafy; rather they are often based on avocado and onion. We added hearts of palm for an additional tropical touch. Can be prepared in less that 45 minutes.

For the following salad, you may prepare the dressing and lettuce early in the day so they can be tossed together just before serving.

Pairing citrus fruit with olives is a time-honored Moroccan tradition. While most versions of this salad call for oranges, tangerines make a sweet substitute.

These rice-coated meatballs, commonly referred to as zhen zhu, meaning "pearls" in Chinese, are often prepared at home in New York City's Chinatown. Steaming them on lettuce leaves helps prevent them from sticking to the steamer rack. They are traditionally made with sticky rice (sometimes called sweet rice), but we've used long-grain rice, which is easier to find.