Yep—strawberries and tomatoes. I love serving this to people who don’t know what’s coming. They scratch their heads, expecting bruschetta to be topped with tomatoes, but what’s that other familiar flavor? They always love it. Consider: tomatoes and strawberries are both sweet, tangy, and juicy. They’re both fruits. They’re even both red. The more I think about it, the more I want to try this on top of pasta. . . . For now, though, the combo makes a perfect summer appetizer.

makes 10 to 15 hors d’oeuvres

1 cup diced fresh ripe strawberries
1 cup diced grape tomatoes
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons thinly sliced basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick

1 In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries, tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Let rest for 30 minutes, stirring now and then.

2 Heat an outdoor or indoor grill or grill pan to medium–high. Spread out the sliced bread on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Transfer to the grill, and toast the bread until golden all over, 2 or 3 minutes per side.

Arrange on a platter.

3 Cover the warm grilled bread slices with a generous layer of strawberry–tomato salad. Serve immediately.

Lots of people, even fancy food-industry people, aren’t sure how to pronounce the word bruschetta: it’s brew-SKET-tuh.

Excerpted from In My Kitchen by Ted Allen. Copyright © 2012 by Ted Allen. Photograph Copyright © 2012 by Ben Fink. All rights reserved.

Salted lemon, fresh mint, and fennel shake up wholesome wheat berries. Some wheat berries are quite large; I prefer small kernels, like the ones I buy from Heritage Prairie Farm, for their lighter texture. If you see similar wheat berries for sale at the farmers’ market, try them out. Curly pea shoots and pops of sweet peas sweeten the deal. When I can find it, I also like to stir in anise hyssop, a licorice-flavored herb.

I have another neat trick to separate this dish from weightier whole-grain salads. I dehydrate some of the cooked wheat berries, then fry them until crisp. To do so, set up a dehydrator or preheat the oven to 135F and oil a baking sheet. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooked wheat berries and spread out onto the baking sheet. Dehydrate them for five hours. To fry the wheat berries, heat 1/2 inch of oil in a wide pot or straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, scatter the wheat berries into the pot and fry until crisp, about 1 minute. Drain the wheat berries on paper towels and season with salt. While the dynamic texture is worth the effort, you can skip this step without compromising the flavor of this honestly good—and good for you—salad.

2 cups wheat berries
Kosher salt
4 wedges Preserved Lemons (recipe below)
1/2 sweet onion (like candy or Vidalia), finely diced
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups peas, freshly shucked or frozen
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh fennel
fronds or anise hyssop
6 cups pea shoots

1. To prepare the wheat berries, rinse them under cold water. Place in a medium pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil and season with a big pinch of salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Cover and simmer over low heat until tender but still chewy, about 1 hour. Drain the wheat berries (if any excess water remains). You should have about 6 cups of wheat berries.

2. To make the vinaigrette, run the lemon wedges under a stream of cool running water for 15 minutes to rinse away excess salt. You also can soak the wedges in a generous amount of water overnight. Drain the wedges, remove the pulp, and cut away as much pith as possible without losing any of the rind. Mince the rind. In a small bowl, mix the rind with the onion, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, and honey. Season gently with salt and pepper (the rind will be salty), then whisk in the olive oil.

3. To make the salad, if using fresh peas, blanch them in a pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain. If using frozen peas, rinse them briefly under running water. Fold the peas into the wheat berries, followed with all but 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Mix in the mint and fennel fronds, then taste, seasoning with salt if needed. Keep warm.

4. To serve, in a large bowl toss the pea shoots with salt, pepper, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Lay a bed of pea shoots on a serving platter. Spoon the warm wheat berries on top.

Preserved Lemons

It’s easy to understand why chefs across America have lemon rinds curing in their walk-in coolers: salt-cured lemons are not only easy to make, they also lend a lemony perfume to a dish without adding acidity. Morocco gets most of the credit for curing and cooking with citrus rinds, and rightly so. (What would a tagine be without preserved lemon rinds in the broth?) But the practice of curing lemons also has roots in America. In Housekeeping in Old Virginia, a household manual published in 1879, a recipe instructs cooks to coat lemons in “very dry salt,” store them near a fire for seven days, and then cover them in boiling vinegar and spices. After a year in vinegar, they were ready to use.

My version of preserved lemons uses two parts salt to one part sugar. I also add a handful of herbes de Provence. With this ratio, you can scale the recipe to cure more lemons. You also can use Meyer lemons or orange wedges, though I’d advise against grapefruit. Unfortunately, curing the rinds emphasized the grapefruit’s bitter floral flavor, which I find more difficult to fold into savory meals than lemon or orange rind. When buying citrus to cure, opt for organic, unwaxed fruit. The wax on conventional store-bought lemons inhibits salt from soaking into the rind.

To cook with preserved lemons, remove a few rinds and rinse them under cool running water for 15 minutes. Alternatively, soak them in several changes of cool water over the course of a few hours. Next, run a sharp knife between the rind and pith, removing as much pulp and pith as possible. Once the rind is clean, it is ready to be sliced or minced and added to stews, panseared fish, or sautéed vegetables. The lemons can be used after a month of curing, but I prefer to wait four months for the best results. After four months, store the lemons in the refrigerator. They will keep for more than a year.

makes about 2 pints

2 cups kosher salt, plus more if needed
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup herbes de Provence
8 lemons

1. In a large bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, and herbes de Provence.

2. Slice off the ends of the lemons and cut smaller lemons into 4 wedges, larger lemons into 6 wedges. Coat the wedges generously in the cure. Layer some cure at the base of a ceramic or glass storage container (a wine bottle chiller or large Mason jar works well). Layer in the wedges, sprinkling more cure between each layer. Squeeze 1 or 2 of the lemons over the top, then coat the top layer generously with the remaining cure. If the lemons aren’t completely covered, sprinkle a layer of salt over the top. Cover the container and set aside for 4 to 5 days.

3. In a few days, lemon juice will leach out of the wedges and mix with the salt, creating a brine. Check to see that the lemons are submerged. You might need to put a plastic lid on top of the lemons and put a weight, such as a ramekin, on the lid to prevent the wedges from bobbing to the surface, which inhibits proper curing. Place in a cool corner (preferably under 65F), giving the lemons a periodic stir, and cure for at least 1 month but preferably 4 months. Once cured, the lemons will keep for at least a year in the refrigerator as long as they stay submerged in the brine.

Excerpted from The Preservation Kitchen by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy. Copyright © 2012 by by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

We grew ‘Nantes’ carrots, an exceptionally sweet and juicy French variety with rounded tips. You can often find them at farmers’ markets, too.

MAKES 6 servings
TIME about 30 minutes, plus 1 hour to marinate

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Syrah Vinegar (page 113) or 4 tablespoons other red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
11/2 pounds carrots
3 green onions, ends trimmed and halved crosswise.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the thyme leaves. Add the carrots and green onions, turn to coat evenly, and marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour.

2. Prepare a grill for medium heat (350° to 450°F; you should be able to hold your hand above the cooking grate for only 5 to 7 seconds).

3. Lift the carrots out of the marinade onto the grill and cook, turning often with tongs, until charred on all sides and tender when poked with a paring knife, about 10 minutes for smaller carrots and 15 minutes for larger ones. About 5 minutes before the carrots have finished cooking, lift the green onions out of the marinade, reserving the marinade, and cook them, turning once, until charred and softened on both sides, about 5 minutes total. As the carrots and green onions are done, return them to the marinade.

4. Transfer the carrots to a cutting board and cut each carrot on the diagonal into 3 equal pieces. Return the carrot pieces to the marinade and toss with the onions.

5. Arrange the carrots and green onions on a large serving platter (discard the marinade) and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons thyme leaves.

PER SERVING 157 cal., 69% (108 cal.) from fat; 1.3 g protein; 13 g fat (1.8 g sat.); 12 g carbo (3.5 g fiber); 267 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Excerpted fromThe One-Block Feast by Margo True and the staff of Sunset magazine Copyright © 2011 by Margo True and the staff of Sunset magazine. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

Whether they’re based on pasta, greens, veggies, beans, or lentils, healthful salads are so easy to prepare in advance and take from one location to the next.

1. Corn salad: Mix corn (fresh or frozen and thawed), chopped red onion, bell pepper, and sundried tomatoes, with a little olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. (Trader Joe’s has delicious frozen roasted corn kernels.)

2. Bean salad: Use a combination of different canned beans, and combine with fresh herbs, lemon juice, chopped bell pepper, some seasoned rice vinegar, and a few tablespoons of your favorite salsa. Make it heartier by including a cup of cooked brown rice and some chopped avocado.

3. Pasta salad: There are so many different types of pasta out there, so even if you’re not eating wheat or gluten, you can find rice pasta or quinoa pasta, particularly at large natural food stores. The options for pasta salads are endless; here are a few ideas:

- Prepare penne, bow tie, wagon wheel, or whatever kind of small pasta you like. Add a chopped tomato, 1?2 cup chopped or sliced black or kalamata olives, 1?2 cup corn, 1?4 cup chopped fresh basil, a few cloves of finely chopped garlic, a tablespoon or two of olive oil, a tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice, a teaspoon or two of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

- Prepare elbow pasta, let cool, and mix with finely chopped bell peppers, carrots, celery, and eggless mayonnaise.

4. Taco salad: You can use beans, vegetarian chicken, chopped tofu, or crumbled tempeh as your base. Whatever you choose, saute it in a little oil, and add a packet of taco seasoning (such as a Bearitos packet) or your own combination of chili powder, cumin, and salt, along with 3?4 cup water. Cook until mixture becomes thick and heated through, and you’ve got a hearty, flavorful mixture. Pack up with some tortilla chips or wheat or corn tortillas, along with some shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

5. Green salad: Choose your favorite leafy green, pile on the chopped veggies, avocado, some sunflower seeds, tofu, or a can of beans (rinsed and drained), and your favorite dressing (keeping the dressing separate until you’re ready to assemble the salad), and you’ve got a great meal for the road.

6. Bread salad: Great for a hearty Italian loaf that’s going a little stale. Chop the bread into bite-size pieces. In a bowl, combine it with 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 cup chopped cucumbers (peeled and seeded), 1 cup chopped red onion, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 bunch basil, chopped, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme. Add a few tablespoons olive oil and some balsamic vinegar to lightly coat, and toss.

7. Noodle salad: My favorite noodle salad is made with soba noodles, though there are many options for cold noodle salads, such as linguine or rice noodles with peanut sauce, sliced bell peppers, and sesame seeds.

8. Better-Than Salads: See page 97 of my book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, for Better-Than-Egg Salad (mashed tofu), page 162 for Better-Than-Tuna Salad (mashed chickpeas), and page 97 for Better-Than-Chicken Salad (steamed tempeh), and add potato salad to the list. The ingredients for each vary somewhat, but they all rely on the eggless mayonnaise and some finely chopped veggies.

9. Fruit salad: Chop up your favorite seasonal (unpeeled) fruits, and sprinkle on some cinnamon, a drizzle of agave nectar, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add some chopped dates or raisins.

10. Lentil salad: While brown lentils are cooking, saute finely chopped garlic, carrots, onions, and celery. Add some dried thyme and lemon juice, and cook until veggies are soft. When lentils are done, add the veggie mixture, along with a little Dijon mustard and salt. Stir in some chopped fresh parsley, let cool, and pack up.

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau on Vimeo.

Excerpted from The 30-Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Copyright © 2011 by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Photographs © 2011 by Sara Remington No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This dish is so simply prepared, yet yields amazingly complex flavors. Sandy was inspired to make these tasty stacks from ingredients that seemed always to be on hand in her and Michael’s home. Because there are so few ingredients in this dish, it is imperative that your ingredients are quality. We also recommend that you take the time to make your bread crumbs from scratch, as it adds that extra something to the dish. And don’t worry about any extra bread crumbs getting stale; just store them in the freezer and they will stay fresh for months. If you find yourself with extra basil, don’t waste it! Use it to make some tasty pesto.

Makes 8 servings

Cooking spray

3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 1/4-inch-thick slices fresh mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs (see below)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

Melt half the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add four of the slices in a single layer. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 6 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side. Keep warm while preparing the remaining bread with the remaining butter.

Arrange one layer of tomatoes (do not overlap) in the bottom of the casserole dish. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Put a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each tomato, then top each with basil. Top each stack with another slice of tomato, and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the crumbs over the stacks.

Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are heated through, the bread crumbs are lightly browned, and the mozzarella just starts to melt. Serve hot.

Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Bread is too good of a thing to let go to waste. How many times does your uneaten bread go to the birds? If for some insane reason you didn’t eat the entire baguette for dinner, use the leftovers to make some delicious bread crumbs, which are always handy for adding texture to casseroles. Bread crumbs can go stale quickly, so keep them fresh longer by storing in the freezer.

Makes 3 cups

1 loaf day-old bread
2 tablespoons dried thyme or oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil or parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and pulse in a food processor to make coarse crumbs.

Spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and dry them out by baking for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Allow the crumbs to cool completely.

Return the dried crumbs to the food processor. Add the thyme, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then pulse until the crumbs are finely processed and well mixed with the seasoning.

Store in an airtight container for up to six months.

Excerpted from The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

Makes 4 first-course servings

1 large or 2 small bulbs fennel
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Small chunk Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)

Cut the green fronds off the fennel. (These can be saved in the freezer; they’re great in broths. Or you can dry them and use them as a seasoning for grilled fish.) Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom and use a small knife to cut out the core from each half. Slice the fennel as thinly as you can with a vegetable slicer or sharp knife.

Just before serving, toss the fennel with the oil and season with salt and pepper. (Don’t do this in advance, or the salt will make the salad limp.) Arrange on individual plates. Use a cheese slicer or vegetable peeler to shave off several thin slices of Parmesan for each plate and arrange them on top.

Excerpted from Kitchen Simple by James Peterson Copyright © 2011 by James Peterson. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

Serves 8 to 10

5 ears corn, husks on but silks removed
4 green onions, roots and tops trimmed
2 cups quinoa, well rinsed
3 1/4 cups water
Salt
4 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
Juice of 3 limes (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Black pepper

SOAK THE CORN Place the corn in a large stockpot, or other container large enough to hold all the ears, and fill it with water. If you do not have a sufficiently large container, use your kitchen sink.

Allow the corn to soak for 20 minutes. Remove from the water, shake, and tightly squeeze the husks against the kernels of corn to get rid of any excess water.

GRILL THE CORN Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing. (Or see Cooking Notes, right, for instructions on roasting the corn in an oven.)

Place the corn on the grill rack, close the lid, and grill for 5 minutes. Turn the corn over and grill for another 5 minutes with the lid closed. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 more minutes.

PULL BACK THE HUSKS AND CHAR THE CORN Take the grilled ears of corn and pull back the husks, exposing the kernels. Do not remove the husks. If possible, tie the husks back (see Cooking Notes).

Increase the grill temperature to high (550°F). Place a sheet of aluminum foil on one side of the hot grill. Place the pulled-back husks over the foil, allowing the exposed kernels to sit on the grill grates. (This is done so the husks don’t burn before the corn can char.)

Close the grill lid and allow the kernels to char for about 5 minutes per side, or until they become dark and golden brown on all sides. At this point, add the green onions to the grill and char on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove the corn and green onions from the grill and set aside.

PREPARE THE QUINOA Put the quinoa, water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

Uncover and check if the quinoa is ready by tilting the pan to the side to make sure all the water has been absorbed. If not, continue cooking for a few minutes more.

Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and allow to cool at room temperature.

TOSS AND DRESS THE SALAD AND SERVE Cut the corn kernels off the cobs, slice the grilled green onions, and add both to the quinoa. Toss in the tomatoes and cilantro and mix well. Drizzle the lime juice and olive oil over the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well before serving.

COOKING NOTES
TECHNIQUES
Cooking quinoa
Quinoa should always be rinsed well under cold running water before it’s cooked; otherwise it will have a rather bitter taste.

Package instructions for preparing quinoa state that you should use 2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of quinoa. I find this ratio results in a soggy texture that does not work well in a grain salad. Therefore, this recipe uses a proportion of approximately 1 1/2 cups of liquid to 1 cup of grain in order to end up with a grain that will stay intact when tossed with the vinaigrette and vegetables.

Roasting the corn in the oven
This recipe can easily be made in the oven using corn kernels that have been removed from the cob, or 3 cups of frozen corn that has been thawed. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Roast the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, then allow to rest outside the oven for another 5 minutes. If you like, the green onions can just be left raw or can be roasted with the corn.

ADVANCE PREPARATION
This recipe can be made a day in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Excerpted from Latin Grilling by Lourdes Castro Copyright © 2011 by Lourdes Castro. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

Makes 4 main-course servings

Sautéed Flank Steak, using 2 pounds meat
1 large bunch basil
1 large bunch arugula, frisee, or other mixed greens
Salt
Pepper
3 tablespoons wine vinegar (preferably sherry vinegar)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Discard the stems from the basil and arugula. Wash and spin dry the leaves. Transfer the greens to a large salad bowl with plenty of room left for tossing. Season the flank steak with salt and pepper and grill or sauté the flank steak.

Slice the meat across the grain, tilting the knife as you slice in order to maximize the size of the slices. Slice as thinly as you can. Put the slices on the greens.

Drizzle the vinegar and oil over the salad and season with salt and pepper. Toss and serve immediately, distributing the steak slices so everyone gets a fair share.

Variation:
This salad is also delicious with the addition of cherry tomatoes, you can add 10-15, sliced in half.

Excerpted from Kitchen Simple by James Peterson Copyright © 2011 by James Peterson. Excerpted by permission of Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more great lifestyle tips & recipes, sign up for our Joie de Vivre newsletter!

Prep Time 15 Minutes Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice
3 tbsp (45 mL) liquid honey
2 cups (500 mL) cubed peeled mango
2 cups (500 mL) cubed peeled cantaloupe
2 cups (500 mL) cubed seedless watermelon
¼ cup (60 mL) pine nuts (optional), lightly toasted
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh mint

1. In microwaveable bowl, microwave lime juice with honey on high for 30 seconds; whisk until honey is dissolved. Let cool.

2. Add mango, cantaloupe, watermelon, pine nuts (if using) and mint; toss to combine.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

PER EACH OF 6 SERVINGS : about 103 cal, 1 g pro, trace total fat (trace sat. fat), 27 g carb, 2 g fibre, 0 mg chol, 12 mg sodium. % RD I: 2% calcium, 4% iron, 43% vit A, 65% vit C, 10% folate.

Excerpted from Make It Tonight by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen.© 2010 The Canadian Living Test Kitchen Excerpted by permission of Transcontinental. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission from the publisher.

Prep Time 15 Minutes Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

1 large beet
2 navel oranges
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white- wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 bunches arugula, washed well and dried
5 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Wrap beet tightly in aluminum foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 45 to 50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel (see below) and cut into wedges.

2. Meanwhile, prepare oranges: Slice off both ends of each with a paring knife. Cut away the peel and white pith, following the curve of the fruit. Holding the fruit over a bowl, cut along membranes to release whole segments. Squeeze juice from the membranes into another bowl, and add any accumulated juice from the segments.

3. Add oil, vinegar, and mustard to orange juice; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add arugula, and toss to coat with dressing. Divide the arugula among four plates. Top with beet wedges, orange segments, and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

TIP: Peeling Beets

Once the cooked beets are cool, rub off the skins, using paper towels to keep your hands from staining.

Serves 4 as a starter.

Excerpted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast Martha Stewart Living Copyright © 2010 by Martha Stewart Living Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission from the publisher.