Cilantro

Creamy avocado hummus, where have you been all our lives?

Rather than marinating ahead of time, which, let’s face it, doesn’t work on weeknights, we came up with a citrus-mustard-cilantro dressing that bathes the chops in punchy flavor.

This is the time to break out the grating attachment to your food processor.

Golden raisins would also work nicely in this yogurt dip recipe instead of the dried apricots. You want a little sweet to play against the bite of the garlic and the brightness of the herbs.

As you’re crisping the rice for this chicken salad recipe, the leeks and carrots may look very dark. Don’t be scared or angry at us; the veggies aren’t burnt, they’re just deeply caramelized and will add lots of flavor to the final dish. Check out step-by-step photos here.

You can substitute any crisp vegetables and small pieces of protein, just make sure not to overstuff or the wrappers will split.

Slicing the scallion greens and chile at an extreme diagonal makes for a pleasing presentation.

Think of crunchy, tangy, no-hassle quick pickles as the gateway to all things preserved.

Slicing the cauliflower into steaks from the middle helps the head stay intact as you cut.

No offense to all the vegetarians, but the chimichurri is also pretty fantastic on your favorite steak.

Choose scallops that are “dry” (not stored in liquid preservatives). Larger is better; small ones could overcook before browning. Make sure to coat them thoroughly in oil before grilling so they don’t stick to the grate.

Blanching the garlic neutralizes some of its bite, and the spinach lends an earthy base note. This goes great with our beer-braised brisket.

You want all of your cheese ball ingredients at room temperature to make sure the goat cheese mixture is smooth and homogenous.

Hot weather and spicy foods just go together, but this speedy stovetop dish won’t heat up your kitchen.

This cooling and refreshing salad—with cilantro standing in for the lettuce—is great alongside spicy foods, like our Sambal Chicken Skewers (click for recipe).

This cooling raita, or yogurt sauce, is a popular condiment for Indian feasts. It's also great with lamb chops.

You'll want to make this recipe part of your summer repertoire; it's the perfect side dish for a barbecue or picnic. It's equally delicious warm, cold, or at room temperature.