Grilling

Taste restaurant is something of an anomaly in Tinseltown: low-key, affordable and friendly; the hostess smiles whether you're wearing Chanel or Old Navy. It's no wonder that stars such as Cameron Diaz and Selma Blair like to dine here. This salad, from chef Cathy Halter, is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce heart disease risk.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine and is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Cal-a-Vie. We would not think of removing this lunch from our repertoire! After a decade, we have only made it better with homemade low-fat chipotle mayonnaise and sliced mozzarella.

The pesto is also great on portobello mushroom burgers, chicken burgers, and turkey burgers.

The all-purpose side: It goes with the lamb, the chicken, the lobster, and anything else you're grilling this summer.

Spicy, smoky, and sweet, this would be a great side for grilled pork tenderloin.

Ask the butcher to butterfly the lamb.

For a heartier dish, add sliced grilled steak or chicken. Hoisin sauce can be found in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

In French, the term tartine can refer to a buttered slice of bread that's topped with a spread, or an open-faced sandwich, such as the one here. Piment d'Espelette, a dried red pepper from the French Basque region, can be found online at surfasonline.com. If you can't find fresh sardines, use trout or branzino fillets instead.

This rustic dessert is great served with a glass of Vin Santo, a sweet Italian white wine.

Cooking these flatbreads in a grill pan gives them a smoky flavor. They can be served with hummus or the Lebanese Lamb and Bean Stew. Don't expect a pocket — they are like rustic tortillas.

Protein-packed lean shrimp really satisfies.

Boiled first to ensure tenderness all the way through, these spuds gain a smoky flavor and crackly roasted skin from a brief stint on the grill. If you have fresh rosemary left over from the Grilled Poussins with Lemon Herb Butter, strip off all but the top 1 inch of leaves and skewer the potatoes on the woody stems—it looks beautiful on the serving plate and gives the potatoes a lovely perfume.

The beauty of this recipe is that each type of vegetable is cooked on its own skewer for even grilling. The tangy vinaigrette brings out the natural sweetness in the fresh summer vegetables.