What to do with garlic scapes.

I’ve spotted them—in my own garden and at farmers’ markets—just in the last week: Garlic scapes. Hooray! What is a garlic scape, you ask? The scape is the little curlicue sprout that shoots from the top …

Lunchbox salad with chicken, carrot and fennel.

This fresh-tasting salad of chicken and vegetables is a perfectly packable lunch to take to work. Use store-bought cooked chicken to make it super easy.

Roasted fingerling potato and green bean salad.

This roasted vegetable salad recalls a classic Italian pasta dish, with fingerling potatoes, green beans and a creamy basil dressing.

Beautiful salade lyonnaise.

I’m finding frisee, the curly endive with a mildly bitter taste, at farmers’ markets now, and this classic French salad is the perfect use for it.

Mushroom and 3-cheese pizza.

This easy pizza starts with a foundation of whole-wheat pita, some garlicky sautéed mushrooms, and a combo of goat cheese, mozzarella and parmesan.

Easy arugula pesto.

Pesto isn’t just for basil. In spring, turn seasonal arugula into a bright-green, slightly spicy version of this classic Italian condiment.

Pasta with zucchini, pine nuts and Parmesan.

You’ll be surprised how much flavor this simple pasta dish packs: it’s just zucchini, pasta, pine nuts, herbs and Parmesan. Perfect for Meatless Monday.

Grilled red bell pepper and egg sandwich.

Sometimes, the most delicious dishes are also the simplest. I love this classic Italian sandwich: a grilled red pepper half with an egg cracked in the “cup.”