This ain't your mama's chopped salad. Squash and pear add a wintery twist to this dish.

Serves: 4 to 5

Ingredients:
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into half-inch cubes
1 Bosc pear, cored and thinly sliced into strips
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound green beans, chopped into half-inch pieces
6 to 8 cups arugula
1 cup cubed feta cheese
1/4 cup hulled sunflower seeds

Dressing:
2 tablespoons roasted hazelnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon whole dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss squash and pear with oil and salt. Roast for 25 minutes. Add green beans, stir to incorporate, and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before adding the roasted vegetables to a large salad bowl, along with arugula, feta, and seeds. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Add the dressing to prepared salad and toss until fully combined. Serve immediately.

Image via yummybeet.com

For every girl who looks at salad as primarily a crouton-delivery vehicle (guilty), you'll want to whip up this panzanella (aka bread salad) right away.

Serves: 2 to 3

Ingredients:
1/2 loaf day-old crusty bread, cut into one-inch cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 heads radicchio
2 heads Belgian endive
8 ounces of jarred artichoke hearts, drained and chopped in quarters
Handful parsley leaves

Dressing:
1/4 unsalted walnuts, toasted
1 large clove garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a large skillet toast over medium heat for about one minute. Add bread cubes and salt. Toast bread cubes turning frequently until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let bread cool. Tear or chop radicchio and endive leaves into small pieces.

To make the dressing, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about four minutes. Pulse walnuts and garlic in a food processor until finely ground. Whisk together the walnut-garlic mixture, lemon juice, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper, and incorporate olive oil by adding it in a steady stream while whisking. Combine all panzanella ingredients and dress with walnut vinaigrette.

Image via hungryinlove.com

Potato salad: Not just for the summertime. What this one lacks in the mayo department, it makes up for in wintry herbs and -- more importantly -- bacon.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pound whole baby yellow potatoes
6 thick slices bacon, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions:
Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain and set aside to slightly cool. Fry bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon, but keep about a tablespoon bacon grease in the pan. Sauté in the bacon grease until they become translucent. Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from heat. In a glass liquid measuring cup whisk together the apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, kosher salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice the potatoes into half-inch chunks. Combine the potatoes with the onion, vinegar mixture, bacon, chives and thyme leaves. Toss gently so everything is evenly distributed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. Taste mixture and add more kosher salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm from the skillet or room temperature.

Image via nutmegnanny.com

In the chillier months, hearty cabbage is an excellent stand-in for the delicate greens that are so ubiquitous in summer salads. This blend successfully mixes crunchy red cabbage with salty blue cheese, tangy vinegar and sweet raisins. Oh, and it's a cinch to pull together in a hurry.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1/4 head of red cabbage, shredded
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins
1-2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a bowl combine the cabbage, pecans, raisins and blue cheese. Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Image via tasteandtellblog.com