Vegetarian

This refreshing dessert, edged with a hint of mint, works year round and provides a touch of luxury to a simple menu.

A perfect warm-weather dish. Keep cool by cooking the noodles in tea the night before serving. The next day, assemble the short list of ingredients, and dinner is on the table. Prep Time: About 15 minutes, plus overnight marinating Cooking Time: 5 minutes

These Southwestern- and Latino-inspired recipes feature the summer grilling season’s vegetarian bounty.

Spoon this over warm sweet potato pancakes; it’s also a wonderful accompaniment to ham, white fish, or turkey. Or layer it over a cube of low-fat cream cheese and serve with crackers for an easy party appetizer.

This lovely and surprisingly easy dessert celebrates these fall fruits’ prime season. Prep tip: A Japanese mandolin makes for easy slicing, but a sharp knife will work too. When you reach the pears’ core, remove with a melon baller.

Fresh laurel’s sweet fragrance lends a simple and elegant touch to steamed broccoli.

Chef Jackson uses curly-leafed Savoy or Bloomsdale spinach, but regular spinach works too. The killer dressing gives the fresh ingredients a real kick.

With no weighty pasta, this vegetable-studded soup makes a lovely first course—or an excellent weeknight dinner.

Prep tips: Baked, roasted, or canned sweet potatoes work equally well; just adjust the amount of flour to make a stiff dough. If you’re using sweet potatoes from a leftover roasted vegetable dish, include other veggies, such as carrots and parsnips, for extra flavor.