Spinach

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Begin the meal with this crisp and colorful salad. Jicama, avocado and red onion take it beyond the ordinary.

An elegant but no-fuss soup.

Cold steak from last weekend's cookout would taste great sliced and laid over this salad.

The original recipe for oysters Rockefeller, created at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine's in 1899, remains a secret to this day. The appetizer, oysters topped with a mixture of finely chopped greens and copious amounts of butter and then baked in their shells, was considered so rich that it had to be named after the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller. A few years later, no self-respecting restaurateur would be without his own version on the menu. This lighter take features spinach, watercress, green onions and grated Parmesan.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe is a lower-fat version of a dish Richard remembers from the Blackhawk Restaurant in Chicago.

This recipe is very adaptable. You can use whatever quantities of mustard and dandelion greens and spinach you happen to have on hand—just keep the total amount of greens the same. Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 50 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Fresh mint and lemon peel are combined with feta and chevre in this topping. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Using a salad spinner makes short work of washing fresh spinach, which usually requires several changes of water. Start by filling the spinner bowl with water. Then fill the basket with spinach, submerge it in the water, and stir the spinach to release dirt. Lift the basket out and repeat with fresh water.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 hr 20 min