Asparagus

Use this recipe as a guideline and a suggestion, as you could really serve any odds and ends you find in the vegetable bin with this versatile vinaigrette. Think about adding broccoli florets, green beans, or summer squash, just to name a few.

It’s hard to believe a plate this beautiful is so easy to make. Crudi means “raw” and the freshness of raw vegetables is especially welcome as an accompaniment to a heavier pasta. The key to this dish is creating long, graceful ribbons of the raw zucchini; they should look almost like pale green fettuccine noodles.

Combine this elegant dish with Savory Pecan Rice (page 280) for company-pleasing fare.

Cubes of beef are browned and simmered with colorful vegetables and thin noodles in this tasty, soupy Asian stew.

Nothing brings out the flavor of fresh asparagus better than lemon. Here the two combine with whole-grain bow-tie pasta, mushrooms, and chicken chunks for a delightful one-dish meal.

This recipe will eliminate all doubt that good-for-you tofu can be tasty, too!

This quick dish tastes so rich and flavorful!

Broiling the asparagus intensifies its natural flavor and sweetness, and the toasted sesame oil adds a subtle nuttiness. You can serve this dish warm or at room temperature, making it a natural for a buffet.

Brimming with color and texture, this substantial side salad will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator.

This colorful and crisp medley of fresh vegetables is easy enough to prepare for everyday meals, yet elegant enough for guests.

With their slightly caramelized flavor, roasted vegetables make a wonderful spread. Serve with pieces of toasted whole-grain pita rounds or baked tortilla chips.

Asparagus tends to be expensive when it’s not in season and is ridiculously affordable when it is. Though it’s usually available year round, the best time to seek asparagus is from February through June, with April being the prime month. During the peak of asparagus season, I’ve seen it for as little as 97 cents per pound even in Los Angeles and New York City, where grocery prices are far from ideal. Be sure to chop the garlic very finely (aka: mince) in this recipe in order to achieve the perfect balance. If it’s too coarse you may find the garlic to be overpowering.

I love using goat cheese in my healthy cooking. Although it has 6 grams of fat per ounce, I find I don’t need to use nearly as much as I do of other cheeses since it has such a great strong punch of flavor. I’ve served this asparagus side at many a dinner party, and guests have always raved.

Please note the thickness of asparagus spears varies widely. Thinner spears take only a few minutes to cook, while thicker spears easily take 6 minutes or even longer with this preparation. So plan based on the thickness of the spears you have, and make sure to stop cooking them as soon as they reach desired doneness.

If you prefer, you can always substitute a brown rice, whole-wheat, or whole-grain pasta for the fiber-enriched variety. I get a lot of letters and e-mails from home cooks around the country saying they are able to make my recipes for the whole family even though their spouses and children won’t generally eat healthy food, because my recipes actually taste fattening. To keep with that tradition, I opt for the fiber-enriched pasta since it adds needed fiber to our diets while still tasting more like traditional pasta.

Gina: This is an idea that Pat and I hatched when we were thinking of other ways to use our Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning. We were already sprinkling it over various meats, and I was using it to season catfish. So, one evening when I was having a cocktail (which is when I am most creative), I thought, why not combine the barbecue seasoning with butter?!? I checked with Pat, and he thought it was a great idea, and, voilà, barbecue butter was born. You know, some of our best dishes have come from just messing around, so you might want to do what we do and let yourself go in the kitchen! During warm weather, when we don’t have the time (or the desire) to stand over a hot stove, few meals are as enticing as a piece of grilled fish like halibut, tuna, or salmon alongside grilled spears of asparagus slathered with this lively butter. The addictive butter (flavored with fresh herbs, scallions, and orange zest) is also incredibly versatile. Try it tossed with pasta and grilled shrimp, or melted over a seared steak. Boiled creamy new potatoes or steamed rice is a great accompaniment to this simple, satisfying meal. Barbecue butter will keep in the fridge for 4 or 5 days.

Gina: You gotta love an enormous chopped salad made with just about everything in the vegetable drawer. Our version includes the traditional ingredients of bacon, egg, and blue cheese, along with an array of colorful vegetables for fresh flavor and crunch, and our creamy Barbecue Ranch Dressing (imagine the tart, spicy creaminess of ranch with the sweetness and smoke of the barbecue sauce; it’s a match made in heaven). Your vegetables will be “grooving” in the bowl! This is a hearty salad worthy of being a meal all on its own.

If you’re in the habit of throwing away broccoli stems, or even saving them for soup, I’d like you to try cooking broccoli this way. The stems are delicious, and if you peel them, they’ll cook in the same time as the florets. Nothing could be simpler than this way of preparing broccoli—after a quick boiling, just plunk the pieces into the hot oil and let them go till they’re tender. You can skip the boiling step and add the raw broccoli directly to the oil and garlic, keeping more of the nutrients intact. In that case, add some water to the skillet along with the broccoli, and add more from time to time as they cook.