Citrus

Shlata Chizo Carrot salads are a relatively new dish, especially raw ones. Until well into the twentieth century, most Europeans ate only cooked carrots, primarily in stews and soups. In the Middle East, people also used them as a component of cooked dishes, but sometimes added grated or minced raw carrots as a minor ingredient to various salads. It was in northwestern Africa that carrots, both cooked and raw, became the featured component of salads — typically an accompaniment to couscous or part of an assortment of salads. Moroccans brought carrot salads to Israel in the 1940s, and they quickly became ubiquitous. These salads are a traditional Rosh Hashanah dish in Israel, a symbol of a sweet and fruitful year to come. At many Israeli restaurants, cooked carrot salad automatically appears on the table with the bread, pickles, and hummus. The carrots are usually flavored with charmoula, a characteristic Moroccan marinade of oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt. Most cooks add heat with chilies, sometimes in dangerous proportions. I have tasted some that left me gasping and other that proved a lively appetizer, so adjust the amount of chilies to your own preference and that of your guests. For fancy presentation, Israelis serve raw carrot salad, commonly called gezer chai ("live carrots"), in quartered avocados or on a bed of lettuce leaves, garnished with a sprig of mint.

Improv: Instead of smoked salmon, try this with a generous dollop of caviar on the eggs, or top them with smoked trout or whitefish.

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

A big dose of lime (from lime juice, zest, and oil) really makes these sing.

This recipe was inspired by an unforgettable blood-orange ice cream made by chef Greg Malouf of Mo Mo restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. We've used navel oranges, available all year long.

It's tough to find a better source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than salmon. Add greens, grapefruit, and avocado, and you're well on your way to your 5 a Day.

The health benefits: almost 25 percent of the RDA for magnesium in 1/2 cup cooked chard; 20 percent of the RDA for vitamin A; almost 25 percent of your potassium quota.

Sunday-night dessert. From Golden Door in Escondido, California. Talk about sweet justice: You can eat "cream" with our spa meal plan. This dessert drives its silky texture from tofu and its tangy flavor from orange zest, plus it's loaded with beta-carotene from the squash. Look for squash without green streaks — they're the sweetest.

Tip: Just-as-sweet calorie saver: Mix honey, not sugar, intro fruit desserts.

We recommend using a good-quality California or Spanish sparkling wine for this punch. Both are widely available and less expensive than Champagne.

You can stuff five or six healthy vegetables into salsa (tomatoes, peppers, scallions, garlic, corn, whatever else is left in the crisper bin) then use that salsa five or six different ways (on fish, on chicken, in a burrito or, of course, on a delicious corn chip. You can make salsa in minutes. It keeps forever. It is the antidote to any of your vegetable woes!

Although this recipe has a long ingredients list, it's a snap to throw together, even when you're zapped by sneezes and sniffles. Best of all, you'll be feeling better in a flash — chicken soup is a true germ conqueror, and the spiciness kicks up the cure a notch.

This version of the classic salad shows why it is a favorite across America.

Fried with a parmesan coating, humble cauliflower takes on a whole new appeal in this salad; lots of parsley makes it aromatic and refreshing.

Enid P. Saldana of San Juan, Puerto Rico, writes: "I would love to get the recipe for the lychee Martini they serve at Kittichai, in New York City." This summer, enjoy a vodka Martini with a real twist — lychee. The exotic sweetness of the fruit brightens the citrus flavors in this truly refreshing drink.

Often called a boniato, a batata is what most of the world knows as a sweet potato. White-fleshed and drier than typical orange, moist-fleshed varieties, the tuber has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor reminiscent of chestnuts. We like to serve them with a flavorful compound butter.

The all-American soda fountain classic gets a fabulous tropical makeover.