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Who says gremolata has to have parsley and lemon? No one who's tried this crunchy Thai influenced riff.

Spring is abundant with greens of all types, both wild and cultivated. You never know what might show up at your market in any given week. It just so happened that I was able to get pepper y watercress, wild stinging nettles, and sour sorrel at the same time. I love the idea of a watercress or nettles soup, but it always leaves me wanting acid, which inevitably turns the vibrant green soup to a drab olive. Naturally sour sorrel solves this by adding brightness without acid to balance the flavor. If you have trouble finding nettles, just use more watercress, or substitute arugula, mizuna, or dandelion.

All the flavors of guacamole meet up in this creamy soup, with yogurt adding body and refreshment. Serve with pita or tortilla chips. For lunch, add a salad of frisée, jicama, and oranges. For dinner, serve in small portions and follow with grilled ribs, grilled salmon, or just about anything grilled.

Though good with any fresh vegetable, this sharp, creamy feta dip, smoothed with a little buttermilk, is exceptional with crisp spring radishes. Much as in the combination above, salt and fat mellow any heat from the raw radishes. Cheesemaker Mary Rigdon of Decimal Place Farm has been brining her goat's milk feta to order for us every week since Miller Union opened. If you have a local farmers' market that sells fresh cheeses, look there first for good-quality feta. I love the little pink, purple, or red garden variety radishes for this dip.

Though the healthful and now mainstream Middle Eastern dip we know as hummus typically includes chickpeas and sesame tahini, this adaptation contains neither. Rather, its similarly smooth texture comes from the natural starch and protein of the English pea. In the summer, I make a variation of this using blanched field peas of any variety, and I substitute thyme for the spring herbs and fresh garlic in place of the early green garlic of spring.

This works as a fancy little passed hors d'oeuvre toast or as a more substantial dinner toast. As an hors d'oeuvre, it'll pair especially well with rose but also any sparkling wine or crisp white. If you're eating it for dinner, saute some garlicky bok choy or watercress on the side, plus a little kimchi for bite. If you're tight on cash but still want to impress, this is a great one-you don't need to buy the most expensive crab; the miso makes up for it. That said, it's always best to buy the highest quality you can afford.

Serve this take on the traditional Indian fresh cheese with olive oil, salt, and pepper for a simple yet impressive appetizer. The tofu-like texture also works well folded into soups or curries or pan fried and tossed into salads.

One of many cool things about (super-nutritious) sprouted lentils: They don't need to be cooked first.

These mini tarts are double sealed for extra insurance.

Start off a holiday meal in the freshest way possible: With crunchy radishes dipped in olive oil and then into flavorful herbed salt.

If you're making this entire menu in a single oven, put the souffléed gnocchi in the oven to bake after the fennel and carrots have been roasting for 10 minutes.

An extra smooth, delightfully tangy guacamole.

You've probably never seen smoked swordfish before, but you probably weren't looking. Find it at Mexican, Spanish, or other specialty grocers, or at a well-stocked fish market.

Weeknight chowder? Use clam juice. Weekend? It's worth making fish stock from scratch.

Aguachile is a chile and citrus dressing that's often paired with raw fish. You'll want to drink Bukantz's veggie version right from the platter.

The secret to this silky, lemony sauce is plenty of butter, and the courage to use it all.