Long ago, many years before fat-free blue cheese dressing and packaged croutons, when humans were merely modest players on the Earth, animals among animals, we ate leaves. Massive quantities of them, scattered with the occasional handful of sweet, ripe berries or tender young nuts and seeds.
Leaves, greens, foliage of all sorts, unadulterated and brilliant in their raw glory, were the natural and convenient basis of the human diet.

So it came to pass in the days of ancient Babylon that an ancient but far-sighted foodie doused an earthenware dish of grasses and herbs with oil and vinegar (at least, that’s the rumor). Thus was the salad born. It remained popular throughout the ages in its simplest incarnation of greens and dressing, making its way onto ancient tables and into classic literature, beginning with Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. In that first reference to salads, Cleopatra says “My salad days, when I was green in judgment, cold in blood,”
to explain her youthful indiscretions with Julius Caesar who, coincidentally or not, was the namesake for one of our most popular dressings.

These early dishes of greens, oil and vinegar defined salads for hundreds of years until the French, bless their hearts, invented mayonnaise more than 200 years ago. A creamier era of dressings was born, prompting creative twists on salads. For hundreds of years, people enjoyed robust, meaningful salads with such creative additions as marigold blossoms, rose petals, celery root, truffles and hard-boiled eggs.

Then in the 1940s, an enterprising botanist at the USDA developed iceberg lettuce, which gained such enormous promotion that 95 percent of the production and consumption of all lettuces was comprised of iceberg. As if by some unwritten code, salads were uniformly composed of piles of this uninspired stuff, strewn with pale tomatoes and listless slices of cucumber. Salad soon became an afterthought, an obligatory first course at steak houses and consolation prize for dieters.

In the early ‘80s, fern bars were invented; with them came the advent of arugula, heirloom tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and the reinvention of salads. Nutrition became a national sport, and health food stores sprang up like Starbucks Coffee Shops. Salads were redefined in the United States, and a new era of salads-as-actual-foods began.

Which brings me to my point: salads that serve as entrees when the weather’s too steamy to even consider turning on the stove. If you’re like me, a bowl of Romaine lettuce won’t cut it for dinner. I like a salad with substance, something that’s more than a handful of flimsy leaves peeking demurely from beneath a drizzle of low-fat dressing. Make a salad that makes a statement, with layers of interesting flavors and ingredients, and dressings with character.

Start with lively lettuces. Everyone’s over mesclun mix, and Romaine is so ‘90s. Mix it up a little: marry the tangy bite of dandelion greens or the pale, bitter crunch of frisee with a mild lettuce, like baby oak leaf, red leaf or bibb. Toss in some Belgian endive or water-cress for texture and a crisp, zingy flavor. Add fresh herbs--a handful of coarsely chopped basil or cilantro, oregano or thyme leaves—for a clean, fragrant lift.

Load up your leaves with interesting ingredients, like thinly sliced fennel, asparagus, pomegranate seeds, artichoke hearts, grated celery root, raw garden peas or corn kernels, chunks of mango or avocado, grilled figs, tiny yellow pear
tomatoes, wild mushrooms or Moroccan olives. Try different presentations of salad standards: slice peppers into ultra thin
strips, cut English cucumbers into half-moons, cut carrots into confetti. Then toss in water chestnuts, cubes of jicama, raw almonds or sunflower seeds to add crunch instead of croutons.

A layer of garbanzo, kidney or black beans adds protein, fiber and substance. Or toss in a few shrimp, chunks of fish,
or strips of organic beef or chicken. Use a small amount of cheese—bleu, goat cheese, feta, grated asiago or small cubes of manchego—for an unexpected bite. After your salad is constructed, scatter the top with a handful of edible flowers,
basil leaves or chopped hazelnuts.

Complete your meal with wholegrain bread and organic cheese, then finish with lemon sorbet or a bowl of fresh raspberries. For beverages, serve champagne glasses of grapefruit juice and sparkling water, or a blend of chilled hibiscus tea and white grape juice in frosted mugs. And toast the happy demise of iceberg lettuce.

Lisa Turner is a food and nutrition writer in Boulder, Colorado. She writes food columns for local and national magazines, teaches at Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts, and eats chocolate every chance she gets.

Five Really Good Reasons To Eat Salad

1. They’re rich in phytochemicals. Fruits, veggies and beans contain fiber and healthy phytochemicals that help prevent disease.

2. They’re packed with fiber. A cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber, a cup of kidney beans, 15 grams. Compare that to a slice of whole-wheat bread, with a paltry 2 grams of fiber.

3. They’re mostly raw. Cooking food destroys enzymes, and damages many essential vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

4. They’re quick to make. Leaving more time for playing in the sun, or under the summer stars.

5. They’re light. You’re showing more skin now. Enough said.

The Best Dressed Salad
Many a good intention—and salad--has been ruined by Ranch dressing. Naked piles of lettuce hold little appeal; it's often the dressing that makes the salad. But fatty, cream-based dressings overwhelm subtle flavors and add stuff we don’t want in our diets. Try these dressings for lighter, more inspired flavor, and you may never go back to the Ranch.

Miso-Tahini Dressing
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup white miso
2/3 cup tahini
4 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
To make dressing, combine miso, tahini and honey in a small bowl. Gradually stir in apple cider vinegar. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Rosemary-Dijon Vinaigrette
Makes about 1 cup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup extra-virgin extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, mustard and rosemary. Add extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until oil is incorporated. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Blackberry Grapefruit Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup blackberry preserves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small glass jar and shake vigorously until smooth. Season with sea salt, pepper and additional cayenne pepper, if desired.

Lemon Walnut Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced toasted walnuts
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Combine all ingredients in a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until emulsified. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Creole Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 yolk from an organic hard-boiled egg, crumbled
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
In a blender, combine vinegar, mustard, egg yolk, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and sea salt. Blend until well mixed. With blender running, add extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream, blending until combined well. Season with black pepper and additional sea salt, if desired.