Easy

Traditional Asian meals tend to be full of veggies, and this one won't disappoint. Also, peanuts provide protein and off-the-chart levels of resveratrol, the same heart-smart compound found in red wine.

This salad is perfect for a weekend lunch or a quick weeknight dinner.

Adding grated apple, a pectin-packed fruit, naturally jells the jam and gives it a pleasant tartness.

Satisfy a hankering for high-fat Alfredo sauce with this light, no-dairy version. Oat milk and cashew butter stand in for heavy cream, keeping calories and saturated fat low.

Think of this aioli as your secret sauce. Made by transforming egg yolks, garlic, and olive oil into a creamy dip, it's Provence's answer to mayonnaise. The secret is creating a tight emulsion of the yolk and oil. The technique, thankfully, is less scientific: "Add a thin drizzle of oil and whisk like crazy," says Suzanne Goin, chef at L.A.'s Lucques, Tavern, and A.O.C. Her version lets the egg shine by using half flavor-neutral grapeseed oil so the olive oil doesn't dominate. The result is a harmonious sauce with a supple texture (thanks to hand-whisking instead of using a blender) that begs to be spooned onto meat, bread, and fish. Goin serves it with salmon and poached spring vegetables, but no matter what you pair it with, this sauce is the star.

Serve this fragrant, Indian-inspired side dish with all things chicken.

We mix finely ground oats and almonds into the biscuit dough for extra texture, flavor, and nutritional value.

To make the breadcrumbs, tear up a day-old baguette or some crusty country bread and pulse it in a food processor until the crumbs are coarse. If you end up with more than you need, freeze the surplus in an airtight container.

Sometimes all it takes are three ingredients to kick off a party.

When we say simple, we mean it. And simplicity is exactly what you want when the local strawberry season arrives, and you'd rather be outside than indoors at the stove—even though you want to celebrate berry season with an easy, spectacular dessert. Ta da! We've solved the problem. Borrowing and expanding on South American alfajores, those addictive buttery sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche, we've made one big, flat cookie base (no hassling with tart pans), spread it with dulce de leche, and then topped it with a soft pillow of whipped cream for freshly sliced strawberries. It doesn't get better than this!

A colorful mix of bell peppers gets a bang of flavor from red wine vinegar, tempered by a touch of sugar and salt. These quick-fix peppers require no roasting and peeling. Just simply slice them up and sauté. Serve these alongside our Easter menu's pork loin roast for a bright contrast of flavors that stand up to the hearty main dish.

Haroseth, a symbolic seder food, alludes to the mortar that the Jews used to build the pyramids when enslaved by the Egyptian pharaoh. Though haroseth visually mimes the unappealing look of cement, its taste is actually a delicious combination of fresh or dried fruit, nuts, spices and wine. There are as many variations of haroseth as there are seder tables around the world, and all reflect a myriad of traditions. This recipe is inspired by my grandmother's simple grated apple, walnut, and cinnamon version, along with the flavors of my husband's Middle Eastern background.

Passover falls at the cusp of spring, and fresh asparagus on the table is one of the best ways to usher in the new season. Combined with the snap of green beans and sautéed with the silky, mild bite of green onions, it becomes a welcome pop of color and texture to the plate.

These delicious bites couldn't be easier to make, and an added bonus is that they keep well, too. You can buy good quality, already grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or make your own in the food processor (cut the cheese into smaller chunks), but don't even think of getting one of those green canisters!

My aunt Martha swears that this smoky, sweet, tropical salsa takes her back to Yucatán no matter where she is when she makes it. It works especially well with Cilantro Tandoori Chicken, but it will enhance any grilled fish or meat. If the grill's fired up, throw the pineapple right on it; a grill pan will do just fine if you're cooking indoors.

"Drunken" salsas have been around forever. They were originally prepared with pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the once-sacred maguey (agave) plant. Pulque, which is not easy to find outside of Mexico, is not distilled and has a much stronger flavor than tequila, which I use in its place in this recipe. The alcohol is mostly burned off in the cooking process, leaving only its musky flavor. The sweetness from the freshly squeezed orange juice gives this salsa a wonderful balance.

Nuts and seeds have been making their way into Mexican sauces and salsas for centuries. The nutty sesame seeds in this salsa, which is served at a very popular small restaurant in Tijuana called Mi Rincón Cenaduria (My Restaurant Nook), give it body and depth. Use this on steak tacos or even with grilled chicken. Peanuts can be substituted for the sesame seeds.