Easy

The pickled hard-boiled eggs are a great snack on their own—they’re sold individually at Shed in Healdsburg, California.

To pick a ripe papaya, look for skin that has more yellow-orange-red tones than green. It should yield slightly when gently squeezed.

There is no obvious point of entry when dealing with celery root. Prepping it isn’t complicated, though: Use a chef’s knife to cut off the top and bottom of the root, exposing the pale flesh of the interior. Prop the root on one of the newly flattened poles, and, using curved downward strokes, cut off the brown skin in long swaths. Once peeled, cut the root into chunks, cutting out any spongy bits that may develop at the center.

The addition of buttermilk gives the barley a sour cream and onion vibe. But if you're not into the tang, feel free to leave it out.

Little effort and big flavor. Use these in everything—sandwiches, salads, yogurt dips, roasted vegetables, and more.

Keep the heat on low after you stir in the mustard—the sauce could break unattractively if it boils.

This is the easiest kale salad you've made all year. Feel free to substitute white wine vinegar for the lemon juice.

With their fruity astringency and pretty color, pink peppercorns go beautifully with pineapple. No need to run out and buy them, but if you’ve got them, give them a try.

Rinsing the onions in cold water tames some of their bite.

Try to get this in the fridge the night before for the best texture. If you're short on time, just top some pineapple chunks with chopped dried apricots and some pan-toasted chia seeds for a little crunch and protein.

Chia seeds form a gel when they’re soaked in liquid for awhile, making it a kind of high-protein analog to tapioca pudding. Though you’ll find tubfuls of chia pudding at your local health food store, it tastes especially good when cut with another texture like the yogurt here.

This recipe straddles the line between sweet and savory: It works equally well as a chunky accompaniment to steamy fish at dinnertime and as a stir-in for a morning porridge.

Orange-flower water is very potent, and a couple of drops can go along way. Don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand; the salad is lovely without it too.

Nuts and nut oils are an easy way to change up your weeknight grain game. Try tossing in different toasted nuts and drizzling with their respective oils.

Regardless of the color of quinoa, make sure you rinse it before you cook it.

This slight riff on traditional miso soup is your shortcut to a flavorful, bone-warming snack when you need it most. Just pack a thermos with veggies, tofu, and miso in the morning, and when hunger comes knocking, all you need is a cupful of hot water and a couple of minutes. (Using homemade dashi instead of water, or adding instant dashi powder, brings it to the next level.)

We're a big fan of keeping some frozen mahi mahi on hand in case you don’t have time to run to the fish market. Feel free to substitute swordfish, ono, bluefish, or salmon.

The active cultures in kimchi and miso may also provide your body with an immunity boost. This recipe can also easily be halved.

Cooking grains in a bigger pot of boiling salted water is a great way to cook all of your grains from brown rice to barley.

Cacao nibs are unprocessed bits of the cacao pod. They are intensely flavored, not at all sweet, and give a wonderful depth and crunch to meals. Try blending them into smoothies, or use them to top a long-braised stew.

Name a more iconic trio than beets, quinoa, and goat cheese!