During the winter months, the tomatoes in our garden in India bore endless fruit. Some were made into juice for us to have midmorning, some were added to vegetable dishes and dals, and some were used to make salads. My father did not grow any heirloom tomatoes in...

Apart from being delicious, this is a very pretty salad that I often serve as a first course, sometimes combining it with cucumber spears. It is prettiest when made with cherry tomatoes of different sizes and colors. Placed in a single layer on a white plate, they...

PREP: 20 minutes COOK: 1 hour CHILL: 1 to 24 hours MAKES 8 servings • 11⁄2 cups uncooked spelt • 1 cup chopped red sweet pepper (1 medium) • 1 cup chopped, seeded cucumber • 1⁄2 cup shredded carrot • 1⁄4 cup sliced green onions (2) • 2⁄3 cup mayonnaise or salad...

PREP: 15 minutes COOK: 45 minutes COOL: 1 hour CHILL: overnight MAKES 8 servings • 3 cups water • 1 cup uncooked wheat berries, rinsed and drained • 1⁄8 teaspoon salt • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpea), rinsed and drained • 1 cup thinly sliced fresh snow peas...

START TO FINISH: 25 minutes MAKES 4 servings 1 Comice pear, cored and thinly sliced 1 Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced 1⁄4 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 ounce) 1⁄4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 1⁄3 cup walnut oil or olive oil 1⁄4 cup pear liqueur or...

START TO FINISH: 20 minutes MAKES 4 servings 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce 2 cups chopped red sweet pepper 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 2 mangoes, pitted, peeled, and sliced 1⁄2 cup cilantro-flavored salsa or...

PREP: 25 minutes ROAST: 10 minutes OVEN: 400°F MAKES 4 servings 2 cups strawberries, trimmed and halved 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard 1 teaspoon honey 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 1⁄4 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1⁄4 cup olive oil 8 ounces...

PREP: 25 minutes BAKE: 8 minutes OVEN: 375°F MAKES 4 servings 4 ounces semisoft goat cheese (chèvre) 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs 1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary 1 5-ounce package mesclun or torn mixed salad greens 2 cups sliced peaches, nectarines, apricots,...

START TO FINISH: 30 minutes MAKES 4 servings 6 ounces dried soba (buckwheat noodles) or multigrain spaghetti 2 cups frozen shelled sweet soybeans (edamame), thawed, or one 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 21⁄4 cups coarsely chopped peaches or nectarines (3...