Spring is here—time for lighter clothing, lighter spirits, and lighter fare. These are the salad days, when markets abound with fresh fruits and vegetables. Toss them together in creative combinations that satisfy your craving for new tastes and textures. If you live in a region where the days are still chilly, couple your salad with soup. It's the perfect way to warm up while getting a variety of nutrients in one soothing bowl.

Sensational salads
Whether you include chunks of tender lean meats or go fruits and veggies all the way, the perfect salad combines simplicity with a touch of the unexpected. Here are some salad-making basics:

• Go easy on the dressing. If you use ready-made dressings, choose low-fat or no-fat varieties. Or whip up your own using vinegars, fruit juices, seasonings, and oils such as canola, corn, olive, or sesame. Making a mayonnaise-based salad such as chicken, tuna, or potato? Substitute low-fat sour cream, mayo, or yogurt.
• Get creative with seasonings. Have you ever tried basil leaves in a salad? What about crushed garlic, dill, chives, parsley, caraway seeds, or thyme? Throw some of these into the mix, and you may not need dressing at all.
• Use extras such as bacon, croutons, and cheese sparingly. Instead, try tossing in nuts, dried cranberries, and other flavor-boosters.

Now that you've got the basics, try these yummy recipes for a taste of salad simplicity:

Black Bean and Mango Salad

Fruited Couscous Salad

Spinach and Shallot Dressing

Satisfying soups
The nice thing about soup is that you don't have to do much cooking. Healthy Choice offers a variety of ready-to-heat soups that feature quality ingredients with less sodium than many other brands. Choose from savory broth soups, such as Beef Pot Roast, and rich cream-based varieties, including New England Clam Chowder. Want to try soup-making from scratch? Here are some basics:

• Go low-fat. Cook meat-based broths the day before, then refrigerate overnight and skim the excess fat off the top before serving. For cream-based broths, use low-fat milk.
• Season it smart: There's no need to load your soup with salt. Add flavor with herbs and spices such as bay leaves, chives, dill, garlic, paprika, savory, and thyme.
• Skimp on the extras. Instead of topping your soup with cheese or croutons, dunk a slice of Healthy Choice Hearty 7 Grain bread instead.

Ready to get cooking? Set these soup recipes on to simmer:

Potato Leek Soup

Quick Mexican-Style Soup

Rustic Chicken Soup