Mint

A proper tabbouleh will be mainly vegetables and herbs, with just a smattering of bulgur threaded through.

Butter beans are among the late-summer treasures in Charleston. For this simple, satisfying side, use the small green kind (or frozen baby lima beans in the off-season).

"A serving of spinach disguised as dip and an excuse to eat pita chips? Sold!" —Dawn Perry, senior food editor

Give your morning a boost by having a Strawberry-Mint Smoothie. Try this delicious CARNATION BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS drink with mint garnish today!

Says Chef Yu: "I really love a slightly softer taco filling with lots of toppings for crunch. This is based off a chili verde recipe that my chef used to do for staff meal, with a Mexican/Southeast Asian tinge. The two cultures share so many of the same flavors, it's easy to blend them without making it feel out of place."

Jason Cobler, the lead bartender of Harvest in Louisville, Kentucky, shared this recipe with Epicurious. Inspired by the Mint Julep, this is a lighter cocktail that will get you going the day after the Kentucky Derby.

This fresh take on fruit salad combines spring's favorite sweet-and-sour duo, plus hazelnuts and mint to round things out.

This julep riff from Bobby Flay tastes fresh and not too sweet.

If you leave this on the thicker side, it's a great crudités dip. Or, thin it and pour onto salad.

Make extra grains on Sunday and use them for this lightning-quick weeknight dinner.

Lett says that getting a good, dark sear on the Romanesco cauliflower is critical to the flavor of the dish: "There's a nuttiness when you get that color on it."

People's Pops At first lick, these pops will bring back memories of summer afternoons—but with the distinction that these sophisticated frozen treats are made with fresh fruit and herbs. You can use any watermelon, although yellow is an unexpected change from red. Basil and tarragon are good alternatives to the mint.

Pomegranate seeds sub in for cranberries in this bracing, colorful relish.

Vegan The simplest saladitas in my repertoire are the ones that pair a single fruit with just one fresh herb. These are as flexible as they are easy. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper are all optional. A small pile of Pickled Red Onions is always welcome on top. Make these shortly before serving.

Raspberries or blackberries can be swapped in for the blueberries.

There are two hits of chile in this dish. It's used early on to infuse the oil, where it mellows. The sprinkle added at the end is more "precocious," says Krajeck. "It's not in every bite, but when it hits you, it makes a big impact."

Labneh is an Arab cheese made by draining yogurt so it loses most of its liquid. Use natural goat's milk yogurt, or, if unavailable, natural full-fat cow's milk yogurt, but not the Greek varieties. This recipe takes at least 48 hours to make. If this is all too much, you can buy labneh from Middle Eastern grocery stores. Store the labneh in the fridge to use as a spread, like any cream cheese. A more labor-intensive option is to roll it into balls and then preserve them in a jar of oil. The jar will look beautiful, the cheese keeps for weeks at room temperature, and the balls will create a special visual effect when used, as they are, in salads and legume dishes (Couscous and Mograbiah with Oven-Dried Tomatoes ).

Good ginger beers are made with actual ginger and deliver a nose-tingling hit of spice along with bubbles. Look for Fever-Tree, Reed's, or Fentimans brands.

When it comes to buying feta, you've got choices. We love the firm texture and sheep's-milk tang of Bulgarian or Greek.