Vegetable

St. John Frizell of Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn, created this recipe for a Fourth of July drinks feature—this is the blue option in a special red, white, and blue Sangria series. The drink gets its oceanlike hue from just 1 ounce of blue curaçao, but if color isn't important to you, feel free to use regular (clear) curaçao instead. Frizell warns against using cheap vermouth: "An excellent dry vermouth, like Dolin, is necessary for this recipe." The drizzle of Maraschino liqueur, Frizell explains, "adds a nutty, bittersweet note."

Delicately flavored sole is a dieter's BFF, with only 73 calories per 3-ounce fillet.

In this unusual pairing, the string beans and baby arugula work wonders for each other. Wilting the arugula with the hot, garlicky grilled beans is a nice trick for bringing the two together. While you can use regular arugula if you must, baby arugula is far milder in flavor, so try to find it if you can.

Nothing puts a smile on people's faces faster while at the same time setting their tongues ablaze, like these grilled jalapeño poppers. Sans cheese, and debuting with a snazzy new look, these Shiny Happy Poppers are every bit a modern twist on what still remains a classic firebrand when it comes to pregame appetizers. However, a word to the wise: Having an ice-cold beer nearby is highly recommended, should this blaze get out of control.

Heart-healthy fats in salmon also help your skin stay healthy.

Can't find Arctic char? Salmon works just as well. Opt for green (aka French) lentils, which hold their shape better when tossed into a salad.

No-fry zone: We let the fish 'n' chips fave go au naturel.

Mild mahi Mahi takes on the flavors of our zesty marinade.

Every spring people make a hullabaloo about ramps, the wild leeks that grow in the forests of the East Coast, for good reason: they're wonderful, with a garlic-heavy leek flavor and a subtle sweetness. I pickle the ramps, put them in just about everything we eat (they're particularly great in omelets), and give them away by the armload. This pasta is a simple way to highlight their flavor.

Garlic scapes are the soft, lime-green-colored stems and unopened flower buds of hard-neck garlic varieties. Scapes have a mild garlic flavor and a slight sweetness, which makes them a prized addition in the kitchen. You can find them in the early summer and midfall at farmers' markets. If you grow your own garlic (which is easy), trim the scapes off before their flowers open. This forces the plant to focus on bulb production and increases the size of the garlic cloves. My Aunt Denise introduced me to the idea of garlic-scape pesto. Here I use it to sauce pasta; you can also spread it on crostini or use as a pungent dip for crunchy vegetables. If all you have are salted pistachios, forgo the salt in the recipe and add salt to taste at the end.

This authentic taqueria-style guac brings the classic dip back to the basics: avocado, lime, cilantro, salt, and—surprise—just a little bit of water to smooth things out.

The keys to this dish? Use as many types of squash as you can, and heat the oil in the skillet until it's almost smoking.

A quick Dijon-herb mixture serves as both a marinade for the grilled pork and a tart dressing for the bean salad.

Wear gloves when making this searingly hot sauce.

Use Mexican adobo, a vinegary chile paste, to season any protein. For this recipe, the shrimp is chopped, so there's no need to splurge on a larger size.

An assertive wet rub gives these steaks a nice crust on the grill. And the spice from the meat pairs with the pungency of the tapenade to play deliciously against the tomatoes and watercress. (Bonus: The tapenade is great on fish, chicken, and, well, anything savory.)

A few simple spices are all you need to transform ground pork into a fantastic taco filling.

Make a batch of these easy, fast pickled red onions, and use them the whole week (or two) on everything you’re eating.

Michael Lindley, Public House, Chattanooga: "Cucumbers are great in picnic food, something you can take with you anywhere."

Our test kitchen had an Aha! moment with this dish. Crumbled bacon, mixed in with the breadcrumbs, makes a great topping for these tangy-sweet beans. We think the combo would do the same for mac and cheese.