Quick

For a dish that's easy to eat (and still has that classic barbeque-shrimp presentation), peel the shrimp, leaving the heads and tails on, before adding them to the sauce. If you leave the shrimp out, then you have a great New Orleans barbeque sauce recipe. Try substituting poached oysters for the shrimp.

Make a double batch of the almond-currant topping, then use it as a crunchy finish for salads and grain dishes. Though Admony calls for whole-wheat couscous, plain works just as well.

Toss earthy kale with a bright citrus dressing and finish with a crunch of toasted walnuts. Use baby kale, if possible, for its tender leaves.

The popular side makes a great toast topper.

Since these pancakes already have a fair amount of melted butter in the batter, there's usually no need to cook them in additional butter if you're using a nonstick pan. If you're not, feel free to brush the pan with melted butter before you cook each pancake.

Think of this as a carbonara, but with tomatoes in place of the eggs.

"Celery is the perfect vehicle for a salty, assertive dressing like this one. Chiles and peanuts make it that much more addictive." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor

If you haven't cooked with MSG before, give it a try.

"The herbal notes of gin pair well with celery in this refreshing cocktail—and bonus points for the cool green color." —Claire Saffitz, assistant food editor

Loaded with fresh herbs and sturdy kale and then set off by a bright and spicy dressing, this is an ideal counterpoint to the more decadent dishes on the table.

Used in place of mayonnaise, yogurt brings tang and brightness to these crostini.

David Chang's buttermilk dressing is our kind of ranch. Use the freshest beans possible: You want that tender snap.

A version of this recipe helped Danny Bowien win the Pesto World Championship in Italy in 2008. He was kind enough to let us adapt it a bit.

You can find labneh at Middle Eastern markets and specialty food stores.or you can make your own.