Lemon

Creamy, lemony, and delicious, either as an entrée or a side dish. For a fun, elegant touch, serve individual side-dish portions in a hollowed-out lemon cup (see Note). It would make a pretty, festive accompaniment to almost any springtime meal.

If you’re looking for a healthy pasta dish, you can’t go wrong with this one. The spinach doesn’t really cook, it just gets wilted by the heat of the warm pasta. When I eat this I feel I’ve both indulged a craving for pasta and treated myself to something especially healthful and nutritious!

In Italy the term panini refers to any sandwich, whether warm or cold, pressed or not. What makes this different from your average tuna salad sandwich is the garbanzo bean spread; it lends a creamy, earthy flavor that’s a thousand times better than any mayonnaise-y sauce and keeps the tuna from tasting dry.

A perfectly baked golden buttery crust filled with rich lemon custard and topped with a light and fluffy meringue is pretty much heaven. Well, now you can have your pie and drink it, too. Top this one off with a large dollop of “Fluffy” Whipped Cream and garnish it with a vanilla cookie for crunch. Yum! Are you in the mood for a Key lime pie? Substitute Key lime curd, lime zest, and lime juice for the lemon.

This burger could turn anyone into a West Coast convert with just one bite. Northern California’s gorgeous Napa Valley is home to more than vineyards; it also produces some great local goat cheese and the Meyer lemon. Intriguingly sweet and far more mellow than the standard variety, Meyer lemons are a wonderful treat. Their season is short, however, and they can also be prohibitively expensive. But I still love that flavor and have found that I can replicate it with a mixture of fresh lemon and orange juices. The Meyer lemon–honey mustard is fresh and bright, not cloying. Its sweet note is a great counterpoint to the tangy goat cheese and crunchy, peppery watercress.

Blending Fair Trade coffee with Fair Trade cocoa allows us to support those who serve the world coffee and chocolate. It also helps us celebrate the classic European flavor combination of coffee and chocolate, mixed here as you might find them in an Italian café, with tangy mascarpone cheese and lemon. To make the cookie crumbs for the crust, see the recipe for Chocolate Sugar Dough (page 132) or buy plain cookies (like Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chessman). Toss about twenty cookies of either type in the blender, pulse two or three times, and you will have dark chocolate cookie crumbs. You’ll need a cheesecake or springform pan, and most grocery store versions of this work fine. When the cake is baked and chilled, release the latch, slice, and serve. Be sure to clean your knife with a warm wet towel for each slice.

It was summer in New England the first time I read about the health benefits of blueberries. I rushed to the pick-your-own patch on a nearby hill. I put several perfect ones in my palm with all their little hats aligned—an army of antioxidant soldiers. I ate them. Sweet, with a tang. Yet, sadly, I felt nothing. My blood did not quicken; my heart did not swell with strength. I was my just my same old self, munching a handful of blueberries by the side of the road. In my chocolate research, this moment comes to mind often. The benefits of chocolate arrive quietly amid a myriad of other healthful living components. Health through chocolate is a practice. Chocolate and blueberries, both miracles of nature, join here for a berry breakfast or homey, warm dessert.

While this meat-and-potatoes combo cooks, prepare a green vegetable and one of our speedy desserts.

If you love spicy food, this dish is for you. The combination of blackening spice and chutney will tantalize your taste buds.

Tilapia, a farm-raised fish, has a very delicate flavor, similar to that of sole. In this recipe, tilapia combines superbly with white wine, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts for a dish fit for almost any occasion.

Orange marmalade brings a completely different taste to an already wonderful combination of seafood and citrus juices.

This quick dish tastes so rich and flavorful!

You won’t want to go back to traditional mayonnaise-based tuna salad after experiencing the fresh crispness of this citrusy version.