Watercress

Adding watercress to potato salad gives this old standby new life. We particularly like the contrast of the crisp, peppery green against the warm, vinegar- and mustard-spiced potatoes.

Look for panko in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Piquillos are sweet Spanish peppers with a rich, full flavor.

This recipe was created by chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing of the Longbranch in Abita Springs, Louisiana. It's part of a special menu they created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

This simple roasting method brings deep, bright flavor to winter tomatoes.

Chef Kerry Simon (celebrity fans at his showy Las Vegas restaurant, Simon Kitchen and Bar, include Kate Hudson and Lucy Liu) is bringing his simple, organic American cuisine closer to the stars with the planned opening of Simon LA at the Sofitel Hotel this month. This succulent salad provides vitamins, including A, C and folate, among others, plus some zinc from the hearts of palm and juicy ruby red grapefruit.

For a vegetarian version, substitute Soyrizo for the chorizo. Follow the same cooking directions, but do not drain.

Prolific cookbook author James McNair has been chief judge of Sutter Home Winery's burger cook-off since it began in Napa in 1990. One of his books, Build a Better Burger, includes every winning recipe. Some past winners — and McNair's Louisiana roots — inspired the burger here.

SALAT TIS LESVOV Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia Kremezi's book The Foods of the Greek Islands. To read more about Kremezi and Greek Easter, click here. From the first October rains up until the end of April, the greengrocers of Mytilini, the capital of Lesbos, sell each head of romaine lettuce tied together with two or three sprigs of borage (often with its little blue flowers), two or three scallions, several sprigs of peppery arugula, four or five sprigs of dill or fennel fronds, a few sprigs of peppery wild cress and either fresh mint or a little wild celery. Once home, these essential ingredients for the local green winter salad are thinly sliced and tossed with a simple vinaigrette. It's important to cut the greens at the last moment and to slice them very thin. If they are coarsely cut, the salad will taste different.

To dress up a typical watercress salad for the holidays, Santibañez added orange segments, avocados, and a sweet-tangy pomegranate dressing.

A simple dish from England's linguine genie, Nigella Lawson Like the rest of us, Nigella Lawson is ready for winter to be over. Her new book, Forever Summer (Hyperion), out next month, is full of recipes that scream summer. Crab, the star of this meal, costs less than lobster and has more zinc (which helps repair tissue in the body). Plus, the dish is quick, leaving more time to slather on the Self-tanner.

It's healthy, tasty and, yes, a full meal. This fiber-packed (12 whole grams — almost half your daily dose!), meal-sized salad comes from Gabrielle Hamilton, chef and owner of Prune, a tiny New York City restaurant that's wowing diners with natural, wholesome food that tastes delicious. Bonus for you home cooks: This dish is also quick to fix. Just chop, toss, then chow.

The French prince: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, executive chef and co-owner of Jean-Georges, Jo Jo, Lipstick Cafe, Mercer Kitchen, and Vong in New York City. What you'll love: No-mess cooking — just wrap the chicken and vegetables in foil, then bake and serve. Our taster says it all: "Super easy and very delicious."

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

Eastern expert: Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts, star and creator of the show East Meets West With Ming Tsai on the Food Network. What you'll love: The fresh and healthy idea of combining raw greens with pasta. Said one taster, "I'd never thought to do that before, but I'd do it again."