I came relatively late to kale salads, but now they're my favorite way to eat kale. At Spinnaker's, a gastro-pub in Victoria, my favorite dish on their menu is their kale salad.

This vibrant, refreshing salad makes a great lunch or light dinner, but the dressing is really the star here. The bright lime and rich coconut milk pairs perfectly with briny fish sauce, spicy chile, and herbs.

When we were neighbors, our friends John and Julia had my husband and me over for dinner on an embarrassingly regular basis. During the Maryland summer when it was too hot to turn on the oven, John would grill a couple steaks or whole fish to perfection and toss together a simple Greek salad of ripe tomatoes, red onion, feta, and marjoram.

I've been on a quest for a while to create a creamy dressing that my husband would enjoy. He has a strong aversion to the tanginess of sour cream and yogurt, products that are linked with cucumbers in many recipes. So silken tofu and coconut milk became the base for this recipe. —Amber Olson

About 6 months ago, a friend gave me a gorgeous can of sucre roux a la coriandre, a sugar she'd bought at a specialty store in Vancouver. I wasn't totally sure what it was or how to use it, but I was intrigued.

Mayonnaise is so rich it cuts the heat of the Sriracha sauce and mellows the saltiness of the miso paste without overwhelming either; smoking lentils with wood chips adds an unexpected dimension to this unusual salad. —NBrush

This is one of those recipes that just naturally built itself in my mind - the farmer's market has had truly the best little new potatoes that you have ever had, and loads of fresh crisp snow and sugar snap peas. My garden is overrun with mint (in a good way) and I love the combination of mint and mustard.

I try to incorporate kale into our diet as much as possible. Lacinato kale which is sometimes called dinosaur kale is my favorite. Mixed with fresh mint from the garden it makes a salad that I have become addicted to. The dressing works with other salads too. —dymnyno

Opening a jar of spice is like magic. Adding a dash of spice to a simple dish, feels like letting a genie out of the bottle.

This dish was a favorite of my mother's when she was a child, but as the recipe was not written down, she recreated it based on her taste memory.

This recipe uses classic technique, yet, is really simple. I find this recipe to be old school Flemish/Belgian and borderline Dutch. The first time I made it years ago I had my doubts about the lettuce addition but they quickly dissolved into bliss.

A sweet-tart-spicy-crisp salad, with our new favorite vegetable.

I literally jumped for joy when I found fresh, organic summer corn on the cob at the farmer's market this week. I bought 4 ears, not sure what I'd do with them. Then I grabbed some peppers and smoked trout and the wheels began to turn... —Sara

This is, or should be, a staple of grown-up summer vacation. It's a great way to make use of super-freshness: fish, tomatoes, and watermelon, especially. It's light and refreshing, and it keeps remarkably well in the fridge for a day or two.

Refreshing and light, this salad exposes the most exquisite taste and texture of the octopus due to its freshness and the few accompanying ingredients.

I am not a big fan of Garrison Keillor but last year I read a rant he wrote about potato salad. The gist of which is if you have to buy your potato salad for the family reunion or fourth of July cookout you might be better of not taking anything.