Summer cooking is all about choosing the lightest, brightest, most in-season ingredients and letting them shine in simple recipes. Whether you shop at a farmers’ market or neighborhood grocery store, look for the freshest summer produce and let that determine what you make for dinner. Check out a few of Food Network's favorite summer salads below and visit our Summer Produce Guide for more fresh ideas.

With only a handful of ingredients, Food Network Kitchens' Fresh Corn Tomato Salad (pictured above) is a refreshing no-cook dish that can be made in only 30 minutes. Because the cherry tomatoes and husked corn are eaten raw, they’ll pop with deliciously juicy sweetness and that just-ripened taste. Add chunks of cool mozzarella cheese for an indulgent bite and dress with a simple vinaigrette and lots of torn basil before serving.

Hearty enough to enjoy as a lunchtime salad but simple enough to serve at a backyard picnic, Bobby Flay’s Grilled Zucchini Salad With Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette and Shaved Romano and Toasted Pine Nuts (pictured above) boasts a bold mixture of zucchini, fragrant parsley and mint and crunchy pine nuts. A lemon-Dijon drizzle finishes Bobby's veggie salad, ready to eat in just 35 minutes. Try to cut the zucchini into long, thin strips, so that it becomes soft and supple on the grill.

Not just for breakfast anymore, juicy in-season watermelon stars in Food Network Magazine's Watermelon-Cucumber Salad. Refreshingly light and simple to prepare in only 15 minutes, this sweet and savory plate features a combination of fresh fruit, sliced red onion, crunchy cashews and creamy goat cheese. Season with salt before serving — it will highlight the sweetness of the melon.

Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health. Browse more meat-free recipes.