Talk about a reason to get up in the morning! These Instagram-worthy twice-baked potatoes will wow your family or guests. Feel free to substitute sweet potatoes for russets. And for a vegetarian option, replace the bacon with sautéed mushrooms. We recommend a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the top of the potato before serving.

For this recipe, we prefer the green French lentils sold as Le Puy or Du Puy. Though in a pinch, you could substitute brown lentils. Save a few of the fennel bulb’s feathery fronds for a garnish.

Moist and fairly dense, this fruit-inflected cake is a perfect grand finale to a warm-weather meal. Blueberries can stand in for strawberries.

If possible, buy fresh just-picked carrots with the tops still on (you can always make pesto out of the tops). There’s no need to peel them as the skin is thin and tender.

Broccoli rabe (also known as rapini) is a deliciously bitter green closely related to turnips. To ensure tenderness, the stalks are blanched, then grilled. You’ll find the Salsa Rossa pairs well with many green vegetables—green beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.

Verdant and bold-flavored, chimichurri is one of South America’s finest contributions to the world’s sauces. If available, buy “outside” skirt steak, which is considered superior in flavor and tenderness to “inside” skirt steak. Or substitute flank steak or flat iron steak.

While we always prefer wild-caught salmon, Chilean Verlasso salmon (farm-raised) is also very good. Feel free to substitute black bass, red snapper, or lionfish if salmon is not available.

You can turn this colorful salad into a main course by adding cooked shrimp. Substituting golden beets for the more familiar red will prevent your hands from staining.

This salad is also excellent when made with grilled corn. Simply lay the husked ears on a hot grill grate and grill, turning with tongs, until patches of brown appear. Slice the kernels off the cobs before proceeding with the recipe.

A generous drizzle of fresh-pressed extra virgin olive oil before serving gives this soup richness (we love its jewel-like color).

This is a recipe my wife, Meghan, and I enjoy as an appetizer when asparagus is in season. We use a Microplane to grate the lemon zest and garlic.