Bon Appétit

This light and satisfying soup highlights the earthy flavor of the greens.

Chile verde—slow-cooked pork in a tomatillo sauce—gets a speedy update.

Beef with broccoli, the popular Chinese restaurant dish, is even better with the addition of sweet yam.

Here's an updated version of a classic comfort-food casserole.

Serve over basmati rice.

Halloumi is a firm, mild Cypriot cheese. When grilled, it gets crisp outside, melty inside. Look for the cheese at supermarkets, specialty foods stores, natural foods stores, and igourmet.com.

Serve with hot chocolate.

The Sicilian-style tomato sauce has tons of Mediterranean flavor, thanks to the orange peel, olives, and oregano.

These smoothies are light, delicious, and not too sweet. If you prefer a thicker smoothie, add 1/4 cup plain yogurt. Almond milk is a dairy-free product made from ground almonds; it's available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and natural foods stores.

This recipe yields enough to make the "shortcakes," too.

Dried berries and cherries are sold at most supermarkets in the dried-fruit aisle.

The bright flavor helps balance the richness of the other fillings.

In this grown-up float, "sorbato" (a cross between sorbet and gelato) stands in for the ice cream, and bubbly Prosecco is used in place of soda.

A spring herb butter makes the lamb fresh and lively. Be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the butter for flavoring the Garland of Spring Vegetables .

Saffron gives the couscous a gorgeous yellow color.

Blanching the root vegetables shortens the stew's cooking time and keeps the flavors bright. Plus, the blanching water makes a great quick stock.