I love throwing things together to make a salad, whatever I have in the fridge, but i find that recipes can be very inspirational. Here are some salad ingredient combos from www.thekitchn.com and www.smittenkitchen.com (my fav food sites). btw, I think adding a fruit/nut/cheese to any salad is brilliant – easy and delicious!

frisee, cucumber, red currants, equal parts walnut oil and red wine vinegar, cashews

mixed greens or spinach, celery/cucumber, pear/apple/grapes, feta/blue cheese, vinaigrette, walnuts/pecans

tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, flat leaf parsley, lemon and olive oil, with pita chips (toasted with olive oil and salt, maybe herbs)

panzanella: tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, basil leaves, capers, homemade croutons (yum!) , vinaigrette (add dijon and garlic)

salad lyonnaise: frisee, bacon: reheat in pan with shallots and red wine vinegar to make dressing, poached egg

These are my ideal salads. They use ingredients I love, and have simple dressings (some I found had like ten herbs and spices). For me, a simple salad with a lot of texture is perfect. i have come to crave these, they are so good.