Try this simple salad for a light respite from holiday indulgences.

Many months ago, while trying to make tofu for a quick meal, I stuck it in the oven just lightly drizzled with toasted sesame oil and almost forgot about it for just under an hour. However, what emerged was a delicious concentration of flavors, and one I devoured with a simple sauce drizzled over it.

The first time I tasted potato salad was in the late ’80s at an engineer’s potluck dinner in a remote Canadian city. I was fascinated by the unabashed baby-foodlike consistency of the mayo and sour cream flavors. Not a fan of cold potatoes, over the years I made it a few times and eventually gave up. Last week, as my team at the restaurant urged me to come up with my own version of potato salad, I experimented with an entirely new idea, and it turned out almost good enough to be a main course. Roasted fingerling potatoes with a creamy yogurt, ginger and tahini sauce drizzle, a spice pop and fresh herbs on top. I love this version, look forward to making it again, and I hope you do, too.

Jicama is delicious raw and lends itself well to Indian chaat style street preparations.

Here is a composed salad made entirely from the spoils of Messina Regenerative's farm stand from the Urban Harvest Farmers Market. Substitute to your hearts pleasure but don’t skip the pan roasted alliums as they lend tremendous depth to the salad.

The weather in Texas is crying out for watermelon salads. Every summer, I rediscover watermelon, gorge on it in every way and fall in love with it all over again. Here is a composed salad with watermelon and other summer produce.

When I want something meatier for breakfast, I go for this mushroom salad. Satisfying and deeply flavorful yet light and nourishing.

Sunchokes, despite being starchy, are a high source of fiber and in particular inulin, which makes us feel full after eating.

There are many ways to enjoy fresh cucumber and avocado in the mornings, but when fruits like mango begin to appear in the spring, it is particularly glorious and becomes a celebration of the season. Incorporate your favorite raw vegetables into the salad along with fresh tomatoes when in season. This salad also makes a delicious light lunch or small first-course for dinner.

In my book, what all salads must possess is varying qualities of fresh, warm, crunchy, sweet, creamy, tart and spicy, and then they can pass off as a lazy but satisfying dinner. Use this as a guide to create your own.

Wilted kale, crunchy lettuce and the tasty bite of cumin seeds make this salad extra special

The earthiness of the beets pairs well with the creaminess of the yogurt and cheese.

I have now made this salad at home repeatedly, with different combinations. Just like mine, I hope this becomes a refrigerator fixture in your home.

A wonderful way to balance holiday indulgences and alleviate the guilt associated with it is to eat something cleansing after. Besides, why not start the year on a fresh healthy note? Green papaya salad, or Som Tum as it is known in Thai cuisine is believed to have originated in Laos. I have never tasted a version of this salad that I don’t love, and I often make a meal out of it. The fact that green papaya has innumerable health benefits like high fiber and vitamin content always helps. But it’s the endless possibilities with this salad that make it most exciting. On a basic level, fresh grated green papaya is tossed with chiles, dried shrimp, palm sugar and fresh garlic. Add grated carrots, cabbage, apple, green beans, cucumber, or mango. The shrimp is delicious but not essential to the flavor; instead throw in copious amounts of grated, finely minced, or julienned ginger. Slice in some tomatoes for the acid, peanuts for crunch with herbs like cilantro or basil for aroma and you have a wonderful salad. Instead of peanuts, add cashews, add sliced almonds, or pine nuts. Switch out sugar for something as wholesome as honey or maple syrup. If you have extra papaya left over, use it in meat marinades as a tenderizer.

Enjoy one of our favorite market salads. The nuttiness of the cauliflower compliments the kale and sweet currants.

Back in 2001, we opened Indika with this salad, and it was an instant success. To satisfy my chaat cravings, I ate it for lunch for three weeks straight. The sweet, spicy, tangy flavors paired with greens made it a satisfying, substantial salad. We served it at Pondicheri in New York City; our landlord would come in for it regularly and declared it the best chicken salad in the city.

When Harukei turnips are in season during spring-time we try to find many ways to eat them however one of the best way to coax flavor out of them is to roast them.

Fresh cucumbers, spicy serrano, and nutty peanuts make this a spicy and refreshing salad.

Salads with an element of something warm and freshly cooked are so much more exciting than cold salads.

The keys in making this salad is first, finding a shallow bowl that will fit the entire head of lettuce and next, to keep the shape of the lettuce head as intact as possible while making the salad.

Purslane is an edible weed that while native to India and Iran, has been eaten for millennia from Europe to Africa.

This spicy and bright green bean salad is delicious hot or cold.

This salad is good on its own and also makes an awesome side dish for grilled or roasted meats.

A perfect salad to take out on a picnic and eat at room temperature or even cold. Local kale is readily available at all the farmers markets so run, don’t walk, and get a few bunches!

Last weekend, about to leave town for a long trip, I was staring down into my fridge, where lay 2 perfect tomatoes from Lightsey Farms and a few black plums I had picked up at the grocery store. Houston Dairymaids, the wonderful cheese shop out on the east side had sent us a big tub of Pure Luck chèvre, a bit of which was sitting in my refrigerator. I turned it all into a salad with a quick goat cheese and yogurt spread and there, a new dish was born!

Fresh jumbo crab combined with yogurt gives it a delicious tang, the sweet mango on top balances the savory flavors of the crab and yogurt and the avocado adds even more creaminess.

This salad is inspired by the multitude of dal recipes from India; however, it can be eaten cold or at room temperature.

Jains are the ultimate vegans of India. Their cuisine is filled with vegetables and grains, yet it is exciting in its simplicity.

This salad makes a great first course. The burn of the mustard oil plays beautifully with the cool creaminess of the saffron yogurt and the rich, sweet figs.

A bean salad tucked away in the refrigerator has made for a wonderful late-night snack after busy nights at the restaurant, especially during the holiday season. Over the last few months, I’ve experimented with umpteen combinations, none of which I have stuck to. I always start with soaking one cup of beans overnight (this cuts the cooking time in half), cooking them to softness the next day and adding a changing assortment of vegetables, herbs, nuts, or dry fruits. I’ve embellished some with roasted carrots, others with steamed asparagus, peanuts, walnuts, cilantro, mint and much more. In the last few weeks, I finally arrived at a combination that I have made for three 3 weeks straight and one I am excited to share with you. Raw purple cabbage, celery and beans make the base of this salad, and one can go in so many directions with it. It makes a great light lunch on its own or pairs it with a sandwich or soup. The best part is that cabbage and celery taste better wilted and after they’ve marinated in the juices for an hour or two. The salad tastes delicious for up to three days so use it for a healthy late-night snack.

After eating this wonderful fresh salad, I’ll never think of bitter melon that same way again!

If you are lucky enough to snag the incredible feta cheese from Blue Heron farms, you will have yourself an amazing salad!

In Texas, purple carrots come into season for no longer than two to three months. So when in season, I look for many ways to enjoy them! This salad is kept best at room temperature for up to 2-3 hours.

A simple & quick broccoli preparation with a unique presentation.

Native to Asia and rich in vitamins, watercress is one of the oldest greens known for consumption by mankind

A layered citrus salad in the winter, especially using nice oranges like Cara cara or blood oranges can be a great start to a meal. They can also be served after dinner posing as a salad cum dessert! Variations are limitless – it’s all in the art of the composition so have some fun with it.

Crisp, chilled, thinly sliced zucchini and cucumbers spread on a plate, topped with aromatic herbs, toasted walnuts, tiny chunks of aged cheese, and a simple vinaigrette.

For almost two decades, I had given up iceberg lettuce mainly due to its low nutritional benefits compared to other lettuces. Now, I add a little bit of iceberg to many of my salads and the crunch is pretty glorious.

Here is a salad that takes minutes to make that you can enjoy for days.

Millet is very commonly eaten in India, whole in pilafs and stews or ground into rotis. A few weeks ago, I discovered a special variety called ‘Kodri’, very popular in Gujarat, the state in India where I grew up. It cooks fast, is easy to digest, high in protein and rich in phytochemicals. The Indians believe it helps control blood sugar and other related conditions. But the real reason to eat it is that it is so delicious, it may be good enough to replace white rice!

Ghugni refers to a preparation with black chickpeas, as a snack or a curry. Here, as a salad, it makes a wonderful little starter or snack.

No recipe needed, just follow your senses. I hope you get the picture.

This is the simplest salad ever, but it epitomizes the glory of summer vegetables.

India is a land of snacks — from crunchy, addictive, savory, nut-filled chevdas to tingly, glorious street foods such as chaats. Some of the snacks can be transformed into cold salads — and this summer, I am on a path of discovery. I ate a warm sundal, a traditional South Indian salad made with chickpeas, coconut and mild spices once in a restaurant in New Delhi, and the memory has haunted me ever since. Sundal can be served warm, cold or at room temperature, and it makes for the most satisfying midday or late-night snack. Staying true to my tradition of turning most foods into carriers for vegetables, here I threw in tiny local ‘Sun Gold’ tomatoes and purple cabbage — but feel free to add diced cherry or large heirloom tomatoes.

Here is a novel version that is not one for the purists. I switch out the croutons for crispy herbed potatoes, which are just as much if not tastier. I also switched out the anchovies for fish sauce and topped the salad off with fresh pomegranates.

In the winter particularly, I like to enjoy salads made with bitter greens like radicchio, or endive particularly when they are balanced with something sweet like maple syrup, oranges, or pomegranates. I add serrano to this salad because particularly during colder months, our bodies need foods that produce heat to maintain strong digestion.

Enjoy it as a light lunch or serve it as a last course in lieu of dessert.

We love ceviche in all forms. This recipe is inspired by our love for scallops and how well they pair with mustard oil and mango.