In our busy society, concerned with diet, yet scarcely with time to prepare a balanced meal, main course salads might be the answer. Built around a central protein source, they can become a standard dish without boredom. They can make a spectacular centrepiece on a table, and they encourage people to keep sitting, talking, sharing the goodies from the bowl. Try to keep the protein as low as possible, in line with current nutritional advice and bulk out the meal with fruits, vegetables and carbohydrate. Here are some ideas to get you started.

• chicken - toss shredded cooked chicken with olives, orange segments, and plenty of greens.
• fish - use canned or cooked fresh fish and toss through cooked macaroni or shell-shaped pasta with cooked green beans
• low-fat cheese - cut or crumble the cheese and spoon through finely chopped cabbage – vary the colour by including some red cabbage if liked – grated carrot and finely shredded pineapple
• lean beef or lamb - lightly stirfry very thin slices of meat, or used leftover cooked meat and toss through sliced mushrooms, cooked brown rice, greens and chopped celery and capsicum strips
• turkey - use turkey ham, pastrami or cooked breast cut into strips and toss with cooked pasta bow-ties, grapefruit segments and heaps of fresh watercress or rocket
• seafood - lightly cooked prawns, crab or scallops and toss flesh with lightly stirfried snowpeas, mini corn and oyster mushrooms and sliced water chestnuts
• curried chicken - use cubed cooked chicken breast and season with curry powder mixed with a little low-fat sour cream. Toss with some cooked rice, seedless green grapes and chopped green apple and celery.
• smoked fish - flake fish into a bowl with cooked buckwheat, finely chopped capsicum and cooked cubed beetroot.
• egg - chop hard boiled eggs with cubed cucumber and tomatoes, bean shoots and pineapple and fork through fluffy boiled rice.
• tofu - marinate tofu in soya sauce, then cube and saute or use immediately in a salad of chopped rice noodles, bean shoots, water chestnuts and spring onions and tomatoes
• meat analog - Nutmeat or Nutolene can be cubed and either lightly sauteed or used without cooking and tossed in with plenty of cubed cooked vegetables, greens and a handful of chopped fresh herbs
• beans - mix drained cooked or canned beans or chickpeas with  potatoes, cooked green beans, tomatoes, olives and anchovies
• nuts - sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of dry-toasted pine nuts, chopped cashews, peanuts or almonds through plenty of mixed greens, tomato and pineapple.
• lentils - use cooked brown (green) lentils, drained, and mix them with lemon juice, cooked brown rice, plenty of chopped parsley, chopped spring onions and some finely diced tomato.