Vegetarian

Simplicity tips: Get friendly with canned vegetables, including beets, whose color and flavor deliver maximum pleasure with minimal effort.

This satisfying and fiber-rich mixture is a true celebration of autumn.

Ripe, end-of-summer tomatoes are an essential part of this dish. Add a salad of field greens and dinner is served.

This colorful dish makes a delightful first course or light lunch. Mix gold and red beets for additional color.

Colorful accents of carrots, zucchini, red onion, and fresh parsley add eye appeal to this delightful combination of whole grains, topped with a tasty omega-3-rich dressing.

A rainforest crop, hearts of palm—which taste like a cross between asparagus and artichokes—are low in calories and cholesterol but offer protein, vitamin C, fiber, iron, and potassium.

You can use your garden’s edible flowers as long as they haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. They’re also sold at many grocery stores; tasty ones include nasturtiums, daylilies, pansies, pinks, borage, roses, or flowers from any culinary herb.

This takes about one hour to complete, but really you’re doing little more than an occasional stir. Homemade carrot juice is exquisite, but buying a quart of fresh ready-made makes this dish supereasy.

This tastes like a light, spicy minestrone, minus the pasta. The nutrients found in tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots need cooking for best absorption, and beans require heat-induced softening for digestibility.