Salad

To add a pungent touch of crunchiness to this classic Italian salad, after grilling the bread, rub it with garlic before tossing it with juicy tomatoes.

You can find sumac, a lemony spice, at Middle Eastern markets, specialty foods stores, and wholespice.com

Punch up the classic backyard cookout side with sautéed leeks and mustard seeds.

Candy-stripe beets (also known as Chioggia beets) won't bleed into this yogurt dressing as their red cousins would, so they make this summer slaw beautiful. They're available in better supermarkets and at farmers' markets.

Arugula and pears flourish during the cooler late-autumn weather. Put them together for a great balance of sweet and piquant. The arugula is lightly dressed with a maple-sweetened vinaigrette to accentuate the natural flavor of the pears.

Our update of the Waldorf salad has so much crunch, we skipped the walnuts. Serve with grilled pork, fish, or chicken.

Using a combination of red, white, and yellow carrots will make this slaw even more striking.

Watermelon takes on a nice char on the grill. Don't fiddle with the pieces; just flip them when it's time.

If you're craving the traditional picnic favorite, try this recipe, which makes enough to dress 8-9 cups of shredded cabbage and vegetables.

The crisp-tender texture and robust flavor of thinly sliced Tuscan kale stands up to the tart, Caesar-like dressing of this hearty slaw. Serve as a first course or as a side with grilled chicken, beef, or lamb.

Serve this succulent slaw as a side or condiment for grilled chicken or pork. Use slightly underripe fruits, which julienne better than soft, juicy ones.

How it fights fat Prosciutto's protein helps build calorie-blasting lean muscle, and the fiber in melon begins to fill you up so you can slow down and savor the next two delicious courses but not overdo it. Now that's a smart start!

This classic St. John dish uses veal bones for a more delicate texture and flavor. ("They've got youth on their side," says Fergus.) Ask your butcher for center-cut bones: You don't want the ends. When it comes to salt, Fergus uses coarse gray sea salt here because it maintains its crunch atop the succulent marrow.

Ladolemono, with its one-to-one acid-to-oil ratio (as opposed to the usual one-to-three), is a classic Greek vinaigrette that gives a flash of brightness to grilled octopus, shrimp, squid, or the smoky, crispy skin of a whole branzino

Little Gem, a lettuce that both looks and tastes like a cross between baby romaine and a small head of butter lettuce, can be found at farmers' markets. If unavailable, substitute hearts of romaine.

"We make this salad when it's hot on the farm and we're in the mood for something refreshing." —Jenna Clemens, Full Belly Farm, Guinda, CA