I'd like you to think of yourself as a painter, and I would like you to think of fresh greens as your blank canvas. Now think about some of your favorite things to eat (which will be the paint). Make a list, and don't edit it in your head before writing it down. The next step is to take each item on the list and ask yourself what you can do to turn it into a salad. Would it make sense as a salad? Are there ingredients that can or should be left out, or substituted in order to make it "saladable"?

Here are a few items from my list:

• Eggplant Parmesan
• Chili
• Baked chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, and gouda

Now here is how I would "saladize" these items:

I would be inclined to take leftover Eggplant Parmesan , as is, warm it in the microwave (not hot), slice it and place it right on top of the greens with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Chili? Hmmmm. That would require a different approach. You wouldn't want to just slop hot chili on top of greens because they will cook down and lose much of their appeal. You could top it off with a "drier" version of chili. Take some pork and/or chicken and let them sit in a dry rub of chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt and sugar overnight. Brush the dry rub off, sauté or roast the meat until done and let cool. Slice the meat and add your favorite cooked beans (limas, black, pinto, cannellini), and cilantro. To make a vegetarian version you could omit the meat and sauté the beans lightly with the spices (except for the salt and sugar) and green and red peppers.

For the baked chicken breasts with mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower and gouda, there are a number of ways to "saladize" it. If you had them cooked already as leftovers, you could simply cut up the baked stuffed breasts as is, and place them on top of a salad. Otherwise, you can opt for a quick version. Boil or steam the chicken and slice when cool. Using the same water as the chicken, blanch chunks of broccoli and cauliflower. Sauté mushroom caps quickly in olive oil. Cut the gouda into small cubes. Toss it all together with the greens and add your favorite vinaigrette.

How about some of these toppings?

• Roasted beets, oranges and green leaf lettuce
• White fish with avocado/pineapple/mango salsa
• Stir-fried beef and broccoli with shiitake mushrooms and sesame seeds
• Chicken with pineapple, jicama and red peppers
• Appetizer-sized order of Asian pan-fried noodles

Now try it yourself. Make a list of your favorite foods, and think about how you can saladize them. You might find different ways to handle each dish. The options are almost endless. If you get stuck, send me an email, and I'll see if I can help you out.