Salads with Substance

Abig green salad loaded up with precooked proteins; chunks of juicy, tangy fruit; cool, crisp vegetables; and a bright, creamy dressing is just the kind of hearty, low-effort meal that I want to make and eat when it’s too hot to do any real cooking. The prototype that always comes to mind is a chef’s salad, but frankly I could do without the cold cuts and characterless greens. In fact, I knew that with a bit more effort and imagination I could riff on the minimal cooking/maximum sustenance model and come up with all kinds of combinations that were equally substantial but far more dynamic and flavorful.