Now that we're well into the new year, there's something you're just going to have to face. The party's over. In other words, if your diet in recent weeks has been organized around what I consider to be the Basic Four December Food Groups - egg nog, fudge, Christmas cookies and hors d'oeuvres - your system's in for a shock.

I mentioned this to a friend and she said, "I know what you mean. Last night I tried to slice fudge into my salad."

But that doesn't change the fact that if you've been eating too many naughty things it's time to start being nice to your body. Within reason, of course. The diet pendulum needn't swing wildly in the other direction. You simply need to approach the process in a sensible manner: A little more fruit, a lot less cake.

At the dinner table, the concept could include a variety of meals based on the salad theme. Lots of crisp leafy greens, tossed with just a little bit of meat or other protein items such as cheese or eggs, then laced with a simple homemade salad dressing (one in which you control the oil and salt content). One of the benefits is that when serving flavorful main-dish salads, the perfect accompaniment is a simple loaf of French bread or whole grain dinner roll, so you'll naturally be avoiding higher caloried pasta and potato dishes.

I've put together a collection of what I consider to be terrific shock-free diet options. I think you'll agree they're far from rabbit food, but healthy enough that you can feel good about eating them.

Chilled Crab with Snow Peas, Chicory, and Dill Vinaigrette

10 to 12 ounces cooked fresh crab meat

1/4 pound snow peas, or sugar snap peas, string removed

1 head curly endive or chicory (see note below)

1 head curly leaf lettuce

Dill Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Blanch the snow peas in a large pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, then plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process; drain well, then pat dry.

Wash the salad greens and dry well.

To assemble the salad, toss the salad greens and snow peas very lightly in a small amount of the vinaigrette and arrange in the center of each of 4 plates. Arrange one fourth of the crab meat on top. Arrange half of a sliced egg, a few cherry tomatoes and avocado wedges on the plate, then spoon more vinaigrette over the top of these ingredients. Yields 4 servings.

DILL VINAIGRETTE: (You’ll note that my ratio of vinegar to oil is almost 1 to 1, which means it will have more zip and less fat.) In small, deep bowl, combine 1 clove of minced garlic, scant 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard, and 1/4 cup wine vinegar. Drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil, then adjust flavors, adding freshly ground pepper to taste. Yields about 2/3 cup vinaigrette.

NOTE ON FRISEE OR CURLY ENDIVE: This is considered a "designer green" if you will. The light green leaves are tangy-yet-sweet in flavor, somewhat spiky in appearance, and fairly firm textured - which means they can stand up to a warm dressing, if that's what you happen to be serving. If unavailable, I suggest a mixed collection of baby dandelion greens (or very tender mature dandelion greens), arugula, radicchio, and escarole.)

Tossed Green Salad with Chicken, Almonds and Curry Vinaigrette

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

3 cooked, cooled and diced chicken breast halves

1 cup shredded red cabbage

1 cup sliced toasted almonds

2 tart green apples (peeled if desired), cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup diced red or white onion

Curry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

In large salad bowl, combine lettuces, chicken, cabbage, almonds, apples and onion. Toss desired amount of the vinaigrette with the salad and serve. Yields 4 servings.

CURRY VINAIGRETTE: Combine 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 2 teaspoons packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 clove minced garlic; mix well. Whip in 1/2 cup virgin olive oil until well blended. Adjust seasonings. Yields about 3/4 cup dressing.

Warm Lamb & Black-eye Pea Salad

This was one of the daily specials I enjoyed several summers ago at Bistro Roti, a wonderful downtown San Francisco restaurant overlooking the Bay Bridge. Chef Manuel Goodman was kind enough to share his wonderful creation. The lamb they used was grown to order on a Napa Valley farm, and then carefully grilled right there in their dining room on their custom-made rotisserie. Although you don't have access to the same supplier, it's worth selecting the finest quality lamb you can to prepare this dish, it's worth the effort!

12 1-ounce slices of rare, roasted leg of lamb (cold) sliced 1/8-inch thick

1 cup fresh black eye peas, blanched (or, see note below)

2 or 3 slices bacon, diced

1 small red onion, diced

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 cup Champagne vinegar (if unavailable, use white wine vinegar)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/4 cup tomato concasse (see note below)

Pinch of cayenne pepper

8 to 10 ounces of frisee (another term for "curly endive"; see note below)

scallions

Salt & pepper to taste

Saute bacon gently to render fat, add onions, shallots and garlic, and simmer to allow flavors to bloom. Add peas, thyme, olive oil, vinegar, and cayenne. Cook for 3 minutes, then reduce heat and add tomatoes, scallions, salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Arrange slices of lamb, 3 slices on each plate. Warm slightly in oven. In a large bowl, toss black eye pea mixture with the frisse. (The black eye pea mixture acts as a warm vinaigrette for the salad.) Remove frisse from the bowl and place in center of the plate. Sprinkle any remaining pea mixture over the frisse and lamb. Drizzle remaining oil over the plates and serve immediately.

NOTE ON BLACK EYE PEAS: Fresh black eye peas are the best, but dried peas can be used. Cook first by following package directions.

NOTE ON TOMATO CONCASSES: From the french, "concasser", the coarse chopping of food with a knife. This means simply peeled and seeded tomatoes that are chopped in preparation for cooking. In this instance, the tomatoes should be cut into small dice.

NOTE ON FRISEE, OR CURLY ENDIVE: If unavailable, I suggest a mixed collection of baby dandelion greens (or very tender mature dandelion greens), arugula, radicchio, and escarole.

Recipe created by Chef Manuel Goodman, Bistro Roti, San Francisco.

Pocket Delight Salad

A delightful salad of fresh, crunchy vegetables, grated cheese, diced egg and sunflower seeds, all tucked into a chewy pocket of bread, then drizzled with either of two sauces.

1 cup each: chopped carrot, chopped celery, shredded Cheddar or Monterey jack cheese

3 tomatoes, cored and diced

1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

1 or 2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and diced

4 pocket breads, halved

Alfalfa sprouts

Raita Sauce and/or Pocket Delight Vinaigrette (recipes follow)

In a bowl, combine carrots, celery, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, sunflower seeds, eggs, and avocado, tossing to mix thoroughly. To assemble the sandwiches, diners stuff the pocket halves with a portion of the filling, some alfalfa sprouts, and then drizzle on either one or both of the sauces. Yields 4 servings.

RAITA SAUCE: In a small bowl, combine 1 peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber; 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion; 1 cup plain yogurt; 1 cup sour cream; 1 to 2 teaspoons cumin powder; salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to blend. Yields a scant 2-3/4 cups.

POCKET DELIGHT VINAIGRETTE: In a small, deep bowl, combine 1/3 cup wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce; beat with wire whisk to blend. Continue beating while adding 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup salad oil. Finally, stir in 1/3 cup sour cream. Yields 1-1/8 cup vinaigrette.

Tossed Green and Turkey Salad

Similar to one of my favorite traditional composed salads, The Cobb Salad. But this version is much easier to prepare since all of the ingredients are tossed together before serving. The combination of flavors, however, is just as delicious.

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

About 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups cubed, cooked turkey (or chicken) breast

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed

3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

6 slices bacon, fried crisp, drained and crumbled

About 1/2 cup sliced ripe black olives

1/2 cup chopped green onion

Herbed Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Tear lettuces into pieces and place in large bowl. Add tomatoes, turkey, avocado, blue cheese, bacon, olives and green onion. Pour enough of the dressing over the salad to coat the ingredients well, toss thoroughly and serve.

HERBED VINAIGRETTE: Combine 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/4 teaspoon dried and crumbled rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup vegetable oil and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Yields about 1-1/4 cups.