Food Processor

Serve with: Pickled beets and baby potatoes sprinkled with parsley. Dessert: Lemon bars from the bakery.

We chose Golden Delicious apples because they are available everywhere, but you can use locally grown heirloom varieties from your farmers' market instead. Just be sure to ask which ones are best for baking.

When you compose a gorgeous salad brimming with the freshest greens, herbs, and flowers, the best choice of dressing is a simple vinaigrette with a fairly neutral flavor that gently blends with the flavors of the salad ingredients instead of overriding them. The key is to use good-quality vinegar and olive oil. I use two kinds of vinegar: a good red wine vinegar or aged sherry vinegar for crispness, and a smaller amount of balsamic for its full body and touch of sweetness. You don't need to use the precious old balsamico tradizionale, but its best to stay away from the very low priced brands. This recipe has a slightly higher than average proportion of vinegar to oil to help balance assertively flavored greens. When it comes to choosing the right oil, try to find a first-rate extra-virgin olive oil with a mild flavor, not a brand that's powerfully fruity. You don't want the oil to jump out as the predominant flavor. The exception is when many of your greens are very bitter or hot, like mustard, radicchio, peppercress, or endive, in which case a very fruity olive oil will balance and tone down their aggressiveness. If you're using this vinaigrette on a salad of many varied and distinctively flavored greens and herbs, like the Herbfarm Garden Salad, I suggest you not add more herbs to the dressing. However, if you are making the vinaigrette for a simpler salad of lettuces and other greens or vegetables, try blending in one of the herbs listed in the variations that follow. The vinaigrette also presents an excellent opportunity to use an herb-infused vinegar.

A delicate starter with a velvety texture. Market Tip: Freshly picked cauliflower is sweeter than the supermarket variety (and, when cooked, doesn't release the sulfurous smell that older cauliflower does).

Both the dip and the pita chips can be made several days ahead to keep on hand for after-workout nourishment.

[This salsa is a primary ingredient in the recipe for Red Chile Rice with Shrimp and Bacon.]

This flan is my variation of a classic Cuban dessert that's usually made with calabaza (also known as West Indian pumpkin). I've added a crunchy gingersnap crust, and the overall effect is like a cheesecake with a crispy crust. Use canned pumpkin if calabaza is unavailable.

It's believed that this stew — called mafé or maafe — originated among the Bambara people of Mali. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Use this dressing on crisp lettuce or omit the buttermilk and serve it as a dip with crudités.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 6 1/4 hr (includes chilling)

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 2 1/4 hr

This is an interesting alternative to potatoes. For the best flavor, try to find low-sodium chicken broth or use half water and half broth.