Vegetarian

Chop up these tangy, meaty tomatoes and use them as an all-purpose summer condiment on sautéed vegetables, salads, pasta, or cooked grains.

Sweet from dates, sour from lemon, bitter from celery, and salty from Parmesan, this humble salad manages to get all taste buds firing at once.

This bright, vegetarian sauce features lemon three ways: juice, zest, and preserved lemon peel.

In this simple preparation, spinach stems add textural interest to the wilted leaves. Make sure to be thorough when squeezing out the greens, otherwise the dressing will get watered down.

There are two hits of chile in this dish. It’s used early on to infuse the oil, where it mellows. The sprinkle added at the end is more “precocious,” says chef Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville. “It’s not in every bite, but when it hits you, it makes a big impact.”

At Alma, Los Angeles, these airy beignets are topped with yuzu kosho, a spicy condiment made with yuzu (an aromatic Japanese citrus), chile, and salt. Though not the same, we got great results using lemons.

Chef Adam Evans says this creamy mayonnaise-based sauce originated “somewhere in Mississippi,” and is similar to rémoulade. “It’s great with peel-and-eat shrimp, fried oysters, on a grilled fish sandwich, or as a substitute for tartar sauce.”

Because this dough is eggless, it has great al dente texture. If you can’t find durum wheat flour, all-purpose will work well, too.

Toasting grains and seeds is a simple move that adds texture and deep flavor to this green salad. The dressing will be milder if you use fresh horseradish, or sharp and a tad spicy if you use prepared.

For this recipe from chef Hugh Acheson, Empire State South, Atlanta, letting the carrots sit past the initial 5-day pickling will make the flavor more pronounced.

Soaking the cut raw potatoes in water removes surface starch, which yields crispier fries and prevents them from clumping together as they cook. Make sure to dry them thoroughly so that they don't cause the hot oil to spatter when you add them to the pot.

The flavors of this dish combine cooling spices (fennel, coriander) with the heat of a jalapeño. Remove the seeds from the pepper if you like things a little less fiery.

At Ava Gene's, chef Joshua McFadden always dresses his salads with the acidic components first so the produce can absorb some of those flavors before being coated with oil.

An invigorating hit of citrus brings together crisp apples, toasty bread and nuts, and sharp cheese, making this one of our favorite recipes this year.

Sauté whatever leafy greens you like or happen to have on hand; it’s an ideal way to use up those slightly past their prime.

To ensure the snow-white color of this soup, don’t let the onions brown.

You might be wondering, Does this really taste good? The answer is yes. Choose a light-bodied, fruity olive oil rather than a heavy, peppery one.

Paper-thin crepes aren’t so fussy. “They’re almost simpler than pancakes,” says pastry chef Megan Garrelts of Rye in Leawood, Kansas.

Typically steamed or sautéed, fresh mustard greens are also great raw and simply dressed. “I like the strength they give to salads,” says chef Frederik de Pue, of Table, Washington, D.C.

The ginger “bug,” which jump-starts the fermentation in this recipe from chef Cortney Burns, Bar Tartine, San Francisco, specifically uses organic ginger because it’s rich in microbes. You’ll have extra bug; use it to make more grape soda, or try 4 cups fresh unpasteurized apple juice in place of grape.

Try chef Rene Ortiz’s Ginger-Garlic Tofu with his addictive broccolini. A generous dose of red pepper flakes, a good hunk of butter, and a big squeeze of lemon transform them. “The fat, the butter, the acid,” says Ortiz, chef at Sway, Austin: “It makes you want to keep going back for more.”

Chef Rene Ortiz of Sway in Austin, cooks a lot of tofu for his young vegetarian son. “He loves it,” says Ortiz, “and in order for all of us to eat it, it has to taste like something.” Ortiz’s solution: Let the porous tofu soak up the flavors of malty Chinese black vinegar and soy sauce.

Use a metal cake tester or thin paring knife to check the potatoes; they should still hold their shape but offer no resistance when pierced.