Without these easy salad recipes, I would be lost!

In a crazy and often hectic world, cooking can sometimes become a challenge. These easy salad recipes can be a life-saving solution to the age-old question "what's for dinner?" And since many of these recipes utilize ingredients most of us tend to keep at home, the answer can be served on a plate in no time at all!

Often served as side dishes or antipasti - Italian-style salads can and DO easily make a meal.

I can't remember how many times a simple cucumber salad made it's way to the center of our kitchen table during the hot summer months. And although we always had a stock of cucumbers from our yearly garden, you don't have to pick your own veggies to make this dish a part of your culinary repertoire.

Another simple, yet satisfying "main course" is a cold pasta salad. Best when tossed with a fresh, homemade Italian dressing and lots of colorful vegetables, it can be prepared well ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator to keep cool.

But if you're looking for a real "side" salad, my absolute FAVORITE is my mom's Italian potato salad.

It is also served cold, so it can be prepared ahead of time. And the best part is there is no mayonaise involved so the usual calories associated with a "potato salad" are nixed. You can (almost) eat as much of this guilt-free side dish as you like! Heck, make it a meal .... I do ;-)

Recipes