Leafy Greens

Sweet fresh corn balances out peppery arugula. If you're short on time, canned or frozen (and thawed) corn will do the trick.

Traditional Caesar dressing can pack 17 grams of fat in a measly 2 tablespoons. We did much better by making light mayo, not oil, the primary ingredient.

Sweet and sour is a recurring theme in Arabic cuisine. Pomegranate molasses has this distinct taste. Here I've mixed it with other flavors, but it can be used on its own to enhance a salad, a dip or a savory pastry. The pepperiness of the arugula and the soft buttery eggplant along with the sweet cherry tomatoes are unforgettable.

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.

Grilled peaches turn this simple chicken and arugula salad with mustard dressing into something worth swooning over.

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.

Ripe peaches can be used in place of the nectarines; choose whatever looks (and smells) best.

Raw broccoli is made for slaw. It's sweet and crunchy—and can be dressed hours in advance.

This chicken feels light and summery. That's because there's no mayo, just lots of herbs and spiced pita chips.

We love the shades of green you get from using one color of heirlooms, but this salad is equally delicious with any tomatoes you like.

Between the bacon (around 200mg of sodium per slice) and the scallops (over 330mg per 3 ounces), the classic dish is too salty for me to enjoy. But when the bacon is replaced with smoky zucchini ribbons and the scallops are swapped out for halibut rounds, you have a whimsical reinterpretation that actually tastes equally thrilling. I used smoked paprika and cumin to mimic the smoky fl avor of bacon and I decided to glaze the halibut rounds in honey and sugar to mimic the natural sweetness of scallops. The curry is purely for color and to balance the sweetness of the fish, and the spinach pasta lends a rich backdrop for the yellow-tinted "scallops."

Rainbow chard is especially pretty pickled, but any variety will work.

The jalapeño's ribs and seeds are the spiciest parts; be careful not to rub your eyes after handling (or, wear gloves)!

Serving "green stuff" to kids can be a challenge. But a crunchy salad of bite-size vegetables holds plenty of appeal.

To keep the burgers juicy, don't pack the meat too tightly.

"The taste of kale is tempered by old favorites like cheese and avocado." —Bittman

"The flavors blend so well, you won't even guess you're eating kale." —Guarnaschelli

This versatile salad can be made a day ahead— just let it sit at room temp for an hour before serving.

This is simply one of my favorite dishes, and it has a legendary place in the history of my marriage. My wife was not a fan of the vegetable—or of any vegetable. Fan might not be the right word. It's not that she just didn't like them; she actively campaigned against them, prosecuting them, all guilty as charged, although on scant evidence. It was this simple dish that got her to at least begin to consider laying down her sword. The crisp texture, the smoky, charred burn, the transparency of the whole process got her to let her guard down. And now it is a staple. So you might say that this recipe is a gateway vegetable. Other kale varieties are fine for this, but lacinato is the only variety that crisps rather than wilts, allowing you to get great texture very quickly. This is wonderful with a little Chunky Almond Oil drizzled over the top.