The typical green salad in the photo—lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and kalamata olives plus vinaigrette, topped with watercress*—works during any season of the year. The only difference is that in the summer, the tomatoes will taste better (cherry tomatoes are a better choice in the off season) and you may have more selection of unusual lettuces.

A crouton, in French, is a piece of toasted bread, similar to the Italian crostini. You can spread it with a fresh cheese—chèvre, feta (mashed into a spread, with a bit of cream or olive oil as needed), fromage blanc, pimento cheese, ricotta or with flavored butter (we love truffle butter). A slice of garlic bread also counts.

If the cheese is plain, you can simply add bits of snipped herbs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
 
*For an alternative spicy/peppery salad vegetable, use arugula, mizuna, mustard greens or radishes, each with peppery, tangy, zesty, piquant flavor.

From our grandmother, we learned the trick of snipping fresh dill and parsley into a green salad. She typically had these herbs on hand for other dishes. Even as a “whatever” teen, we found the flavor lift to be awesome.

Try different herbs until you find your favorite(s). You can add two different herbs to the same salad.

Instead of snipping them on top of the salad, toss them with the other vegetables and the dressing for maximum palate pleasing.