Olive oil and balsamic vinegar: 3 to 1 ratio. Feel free to experiment with flavored oils and vinegars.
Beans, fresh or canned: white beans, black beans, lentils… most work in this template. We have a bag of dried Vermont cranberry beans (from Wisconsin!) that we’re going to try here soon.
Aromatics: garlic scapes, scallions, red onion… they all work well. Experiment with the amount of each to your specific taste.
Fresh herbs: rosemary, fresh oregano, fresh basil, fresh tarragon… same as above.
Grape tomatoes: halved. A key ingredient when in season.
Red, yellow, or green bell pepper: diced
1oz - 3oz. feta cheese: diced
One whole zucchini or cucumber: diced
Handfuls of fresh spinach, mustard greens, dandelion greens... same idea as aromatics: Experiment with the amounts and ratio of each to your taste. Best if chiffonaded.

DIRECTIONS:

Create the dressing in a separate bowl. Rinse and cut the other ingredients, place in a large salad bowl, add the dressing, toss… done! Store leftovers in a sealable container in the refrigerator.

From Brix Restaurant & Gardens in Napa Valley, California

Yields 5 ½ cups

1.5 cups    Quinoa
2.25 cups     Chicken stock
1.5 cups    Tomato, seeds removed, small diced
1.5 cups    English cucumber, peeled, seeded, small diced
1 cup    Parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup    Mint, chiffonade
⅓ cup    Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
.25 cup    Extra virgin olive oil
To taste    Kosher salt and black pepper

Method:
1.   Rinse quinoa, drain and add to boiling chicken stock.  
2.   Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until al dente.  
3.   Shut off heat, let sit for several minutes, then fluff with a fork and allow to cool on a sheet tray. Gently fold remaining ingredients into cooled quinoa and season to taste.

Dave likes cucumbers. Dave likes shallots. Dave likes garlic. Read on for a recipe that combines Dave's three likes.

• Mix 3 tbs. of white or rice vinegar
• 3 tbs. of sugar
• 1/2 tsp. of salt with 1 thinly sliced, peeled, and de-seeded cucumber
• 1 sliced shallot
• 1 crushed garlic clove

If you've ever had to answer the question: what the heck do I do with a 30-pound watermelon when it's not the Fourth of July or another holiday where I'm going to have 10 people to help me eat it? Here's a great recipe for a salad that adds the tartness of onion and basil and the creaminess of goat or feta cheese to the sweetness of the watermelon. Yum.

Put a large slice of salted watermelon on a plate, then top with some red onion, goat cheese, basil (I used a little of both lemon and Italian basil) and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and, voila, you’ve got a yummy salad.

There are a lot of variations on this salad. I’ve seen recipes that use lime, other citrus, mint, feta cheese. All are yummy so your favorites will depend on your tastes and, if you’re like me, what you’ve got in the house. 

If you're not into the stacking concept, you can also chop the ingredients and put them in a bowl. Just make sure you get the watermelon, onion, cheese and basil combined into each bite because . . . well, yum.