Salad

There's no reason to make this savory fruit salad unless the peaches you have are worth celebrating or you can get your hands on some superb nectarines.

Not that there’s anything wrong with coleslaw and sauerkraut, but cabbage has so much more potential.

Part of what makes this salad so great is the dynamic textures; the cracker-like baked lavash croutons and the crunchy cucumbers and radishes contrast with the creamy feta and soft herbs.

You can slice the cauliflower any direction you like, just be watchful of your fingertips on the mandoline and work over a bowl to catch all the bits of flying florets.

Philosophical question: Is it still a wedge if it isn't smothered in blue cheese and bacon? It's debatable, but we do know that this is a healthyish wedge salad we'd happily eat every day. It's got the rich part—a creamy tahini dressing that's so thick it anchors the greens. It's got the crunchy stuff—seeds and coarse salt. And it's got freshness—actual lettuce and herbs. Iceberg who?

This is an antidote to every side salad that ever was. Instead of meh greens, it's got shavings of fennel that bend and twist but keep their refreshing crunch. It's got a lean dressing and nuggets of deeply toasted croutons, meaty walnuts, and shards of Parmesan. It has acidity and zing—lemon juice, the zest, vinegar, mint, and red pepper flakes—just in case you were worried about palate fatigue. This is what salad looks like in 2018.

Larb will not only fill your belly, it will teach you how to balance sweet, sour, salty, spicy, funky, and umami flavors. Larb hails from Laos and gets its addictiveness from the way it stitches together ground meat and crunchy, juicy textures. When you get the balance right, this dish sings, each bite creating a craving for more.

Millet, a wonderfully healthy, naturally gluten-free grain, stands in for the more common bulgur wheat in the North African–inspired parsley salad in this simple baked chicken dish.

One take on the Ukrainian salad known as shuki, perfect for Easter.

This gorgeous tumble of carrot ribbons and mixed herbs provides a crunchy, fresh counterpoint to any rich meat main.

Smashing the cucumbers lets the crunchy veg soak up all the dressing—in this case, an easy Italian dressing of red wine vinegar, honey, and red onion.

This fresh slaw is refreshing, tart, crunchy, and wonderful served alongside grilled chicken.

Eggs on toast goes veggie-centric with quick-pickled veg and marinated feta. Everything except the croutons can be made ahead, and any weekday can start off this colorful.

Salting the citrus draws out some of the juice, which becomes part of the vinaigrette.

Jarred marinated artichoke hearts get super-crispy and delicious when roasted, making them the secret star of this simple sheet-pan dinner.