This dish comes complete with a little secret in that it’s actually salad with pasta. This healthy and fresh option for those looking to up their fiber intake is also vegetarian friendly.  Topped with feta cheese and almonds, this makes a filling and addictive super salad full of vibrant and nutty flavor.

Photos: Joanne Bruno

JoanneBruno is a food writer and third year MD/PhD student.  Find more of her delicious ramblings over at her blog: EatsWellWithOthers.

This fresh and fulfilling quinoa salad is full of hearty nutrients that gives texture to this easy-to-make grain.  It’s a beautiful and colorful dish that bursts with the flavors of sweet corn, cucumbers and a kick of dijon mustard, making this suffice as both a side dish, an entree or substantial summer lunch.

Preparing for Hurricane Irene took as much time as getting ready for prom (and ended up being equally as expensive. Apparently, the early bird gets the cheap water and better hummus.) These tacos are like a fiesta on a plate! Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can rejoice in the fulfilling texture and flavor of the tofu paired with the tangy slaw. Flavored with lime and cumin, they taste bright, light, and refreshing; which is just what you need when you realize that your one night fling with Ms. Irene is not going to end with slightly blistered feet from hours of dancing, but rather with power outages and broken windows.  Pass me another tortilla, we’re going to need it.

If you haven’t heard of or discovered Biscoff spread, I’m not sure whether to tell you to run as fast you can away from this post or towards the supermarket to pick up a jar but at least now you’ve been warned. Biscoff spread is made from ground up Biscoff cookies (those cinnamon and graham cracker cookies that are given out on airplane flights.)  Both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods now make a similar version that is called Speculoos spread that is equally delicious. While Biscoff is great eaten straight from the jar, here it’s turned it into a frosting of sorts and sandwiched it in-between two Snickerdoodles, which, with their cinnamon-sugar coating, are arguably one of the most delicious cookies out there.

Some people’s happiness tends to hinge on asparagus season and while you could purchase asparagus out of season, you sometimes get shunned for things like that here.  Yet when that first locally grown asparagus finally decides to show its ruddy little face at the grocery store or farmer’s market it is advisable to buy it in bulk and find opportunities to creatively experiment with it.

Those first batches, especially, which are sweet and young, need nothing more than a quick roast in the oven.  Or to be tossed with broccoli rabe and chickpeas and a dash of lemon juice, all of which is then thrown over some polenta, as is done here.  Quick, simple and for the lemon lovers out there – utterly delicious.

As the weather starts getting warmer, we often find ourselves craving tropical fruit. It’s as if there’s a switch deep down in our subconscious that feels the sixty degree weather and responds with “pineapple-mango-papaya-coconut time.” A fantastic way to satiate this craving is to just throw mangoes into any and every dish. Salads, stir fries, and here in this picadillo. I made this originally during my early days as a vegetarian and it served as the perfect throwback to a non-veg meat dish that I loved.  It’s so filling and satisfying, you won’t miss the beef at all.

With a beautiful pop of red and green to showcase the sweet and savory flavors, this watermelon salad is very easy to make and has only five ingredients that are simply tossed together. It’s a refreshing option as an appetizer, side dish, or healthy snack during these warm weather months ahead.

This summer-inspired and textured panzanella is chock full of roasted asparagus and leeks, white beans, cubes of toasted bread, and the fresh flavors of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto all drizzled in healthy olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

These little spring and early summer vegetables add a healthy pizazz to a refreshing buerre blanc over linguine. Low in calories and high in nearly every vitamin, use this superfood to build this pasta dish into a fantastic weeknight dinner.

While traditional coleslaw tends to be clogged with mayonnaise that coats every strand of carrot, red cabbage and onion, this fresh take on the classic barbeque and sandwich side is enhanced with a light vinaigrette that allows the vegetables to come to life and keep their crunch.