Salads have always been sleeper Genius Recipe hits year-round (the butternut you don’t have to peel? The radicchio with the secret onion? The bitter greens doused in melted cheese, nachos-style?).
But spring and summer, of course, with a rainbow of plant friends bursting forth, are when salads with a smart trick or two really get their day in the sun. Below are 12 of my favorites for prolific gardens and warm days, picnics and backyard barbecues—conversation-sparkers, each and every one.