Asparagus

One of the perks of fame: getting five-star food without leaving the sofa. Whenever Denise Richards craves a healthy, delicious meal, she calls private chef Dorte Lambert, founder of DL Creations. Don't be put off by the high fat count in this dish; it's mostly the heart-friendly unsaturated kind.

These crisp, crunchy hors d'oeuvres are sure to turn heads at your next party.

This salad is no bland picnic side dish: Slices of deli ham and bits of salty bacon give it hearty main-course appeal.

This can be served hot or at room temperature.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Eggs by Michel Roux. To read more about the book, click here. For optimum flavor, use the meat from a freshly cooked live crab.

Editor's note:
This recipe is adapted from chef Joseph Poon. He also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Poon and Cantonese cuisine, click here. Chop suey is an Americanized Cantonese dish that dates back to the late 1800s, when it was served in Western mining camps and in San Francisco's Chinatown. The usual components are bean sprouts, sliced celery, onions, meat, and water chestnuts, all stir-fried with soy sauce. Chef Poon updates and lightens the dish by using a sophisticated array of vegetables and tofu instead of meat, and blanching the ingredients instead of frying.

Saturday snack. From Golden Door in Escondido, California. Adapted from The Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy (Gibbs-Smith), out in May, this dip sheds calories by subbing asparagus for some avocado.

Here, lemon vinaigrette sharpens creamy white beans for a lively vegetarian meal.

What to drink: Red wine that's both earthy and light — try a northern Rhône Syrah blend like Saint-Joseph.

Don't let the simplicity of this pasta dish fool you — it's packed with irresistable springtime flavors.

Using multicolored carrots makes this beautiful side dish even more vibrant.

IMPROV: Instead of tarragon, try dill; sub bacon for the ham.

Requiring just a few ingredients and minimal cooking, this hors d'oeuvre is the epitome of elegant simplicity.

No other vegetable signals spring like asparagus. In this recipe, it makes for a rich, creamy side dish that's beyond delicious. We love it with a simple roast chicken.

This dish has a livelier, fresher taste than traditional risotto because the vegetables are cooked separately from the rice and then spooned over it in a rich ragout.

A quick dip in egg and matzo meal creates a light, crisp crust for this boastworthy fried chicken. The perfect foil? A refreshing salad of mesclun greens, baby artichokes, and asparagus enlivened with a smooth, dill-flecked vinaigrette.

This vegetarian starter has an incredibly silky texture, but less than a tablespoon of butter per serving.

George Hendrix of Carbondale, Colorado, writes: "My family is usually in a hurry, so dinner has to be on the table fast. The stir-fry doesn't require much preparation and the oyster sauce gives it rich flavor, which means I don't have any trouble getting my teenage boys to eat the vegetables."