Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season

Patricia Wells, the grande dame of modern French cooking, is back with Salad as a Meal, featuring original recipes for turning nature’s freshest ingredients into delicious, satisfying repasts. With more than 150 recipes and glorious photos throughout, Salad as a Meal explores a culinary concept at once simple, elegant, and creative—no less than you would expect from the renowned chef and author of Simply French, The Provence Cookbook, and the Food Lover’s Guide to Paris.

Go beyond the simple green salad with more than 150 recipes for:

• Healthy Main-Dish Salads: Transform fish, poultry, meat, eggs, and grains into satisfying center-of-the-plate meals inspired by classic French cooking.
• Seasonal Produce: Make the most of nature's freshest ingredients with creative salads for every season, from summer's heirloom tomatoes to winter's hearty greens.
• Homemade Dressings & Vinaigrettes: Master the art of the perfect dressing with foundational recipes for classic vinaigrettes, creamy sauces, and more to elevate any salad.
• Perfect Pairings: Round out your meal with inventive recipes for soup sides, savory appetizers, and homemade breads designed to accompany your main dish.
• A Well-Stocked Pantry: Learn Patricia's secrets for home-cured olives, pickled vegetables, and flavored salts to have an arsenal of flavor ready at a moment's notice.

Culinary legend Patricia Wells is back with the definitive guide to creating delicious and hearty salads for any occasion—including more than 150 recipes and gorgeous color photographs.

It's a simple yet compelling concept: enjoying a light and delicious main-course salad as a healthy, fresh alternative to more conventional and traditional fare. You can experience a whole world in a salad—with tender greens, savory meat, seafood, and vegetable accompaniments, and versatile dressings—and salad-friendly sides such as homemade bread and home-cured olives. In Salad As A Meal, Patricia Wells gives readers hundreds of delectable ideas, with concepts inspired by her Provençal garden and the interests of students in her high-demand cooking classes. Patricia knows how we want to eat today—and shows us with these exceptional recipes, including:

• Spring Salad: Asparagus, Peas, Beans, and Fennel
• Summer Salad: Green Beans, Toasted Nuts, and Cured Olives
• Provence on a Plate: Eggplant, Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Tapenade
• Zucchini Blossom Frittata with Goat Cheese and Mint
• Quinoa Salad with Spinach, Parsley, and Spring Onions
• Chicken and Soba Noodles with Ginger-Peanut Sauce
• Lobster Salad with Green Beans, Apple, and Avocado

Patricia also offers recipes for soup sides, from Cilantro-Flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup to Watercress Soup with Warm Oysters, as well as breads of all kinds, including Crispy Flatbread, Tortilla Chips, Ham and Cheese Bread, and Multigrain Sourdough Bread. Plus, a list of Patricia's favorite pantry items and an entire chapter devoted to dressings and sauces will inspire readers to come up with their own unique salad creations with ingredients in season and on hand.

“[Patricia Wells] knows the edible landscape better than anybody.” - Los Angeles Times

“Patrica Wells in a genuine phenomenon.” - Wall Street Journal

“Patricia Wells may be the highest American authority on French food since Julia Child.” - People

“From cover to cover, the book is lovely: glowing photographs of Wells’ French garden, bright and appealing recipes, and accessible wine recommendations offered in the friendly, snoot-free tone of your local wine shop guy.” - Epicurious.com

“A guide to serious salads—every detail considered and handcrafted for maximum satisfaction. . . . A full serving of inspiration.” - Buffalo News