Simple Cooking

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.

If you like hot wings, I mean really, really like HOT wings, try this grilled version made with seitan! Boasting the same texture and knock you on your ass flavors as regular hot wings, especially when you pile on the cayenne, you won't miss a beat.

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.

My grandmother came up with ways to use all of the black walnuts we get at the farm, where the trees grow like weeds. They're literally tough nuts to crack (my grandfather would drive over them with his tractor). Regular English walnuts are a less labor-intensive and milder substitute. My Aunt Janet sent me a copy of my grandmother's original handwritten recipe, which I've modified only slightly. This is a dense cake and doesn't need a frosting, but a scoop of ice cream makes it even better.

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.

Editor's note: Use this Peanut Brittle to make Bi-Rite's Malted Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanut Brittle and Milk Chocolate Pieces. Cooling Time: 1 hour
Shelf Life: Up to 2 weeks Peanut brittle is truly an indispensible ingredient for us at Bi-Rite Creamery. We break it into large pieces and sell it as candy around the holidays, but we also chop it finely and use it year round in ice cream and buttercream frostings. It can be used to add a little extra sweetness and crunch to just about any baking recipe. It is important to use raw peanuts in this recipe; toasted nuts will overcook during the candymaking process.

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.

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.

Fruit is a welcome addition to savory grain salads. Here, mangoes and oranges add color and sweetness to the deep-purple hue of black rice. It's delicious with grilled fish.

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