As we haltingly wade into spring, I’m craving culinary combinations that are fresh, raw and multidimensional.

Fennel is a member of the plant family that contains the flavors people love to hate: dill, cilantro and caraway. But even if you have a fennel aversion like myself, the citrus dressing for this cinch slaw tames the more pungent and peppery vegetables.

When you think of coleslaw, either mayonnaise or vinegar likely comes to mind. Thankfully, this make-ahead recipe has neither. Traditional recipes also include granulated sugar, but I’ve substituted a small amount of agave nectar as a sweetener.  The sprightly dressing highlights the crunchy vegetables, resembling a salad more than a runny slaw.

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I ate nearly half of this braised red cabbage dish after photographing it. And yes, I had already eaten lunch. It’s just that it’s so pretty, flavorful and low in calories, I can’t seem to release the fork and put the leftovers away in the refrigerator. Braised red cabbage is an attractive addition to sandwiches or stews as its sweet-sour twang holds up to robust proteins like beans or tempeh. I had it for dinner with some cheeze and spinach grits with black beans and it was pretty much perfect.

Serve cabbage warm or chilled.

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This summer salad incorporates three of my favorite, quintessential summer ingredients: corn, tomato and basil. The recipe makes extra dressing you can use to dip crusty bread in the same way you would use a nice extra virgin olive oil. This salad is a festive summer potluck dish, sweet and satisfying on a warm summer afternoon or evening. You can transform this dish into a light meal with a cup of cooked black or red beans or some avocado slices.

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I like to experiment with different fruits and vegetables in the summer, so this week, I picked up some fresh yellow wax beans, which I rarely prepare and aren’t often available. They have pretty much the same texture and flavor as green beans, although mine, perhaps because they were local, had a fresher and more assertive flavor which I really liked. The dressing for this dish is made with miso, but you’d think it was mayonnaise with its silky smooth texture.

This recipe makes extra dressing that can be used on other salads or as a dip for vegetables. For lunch, I roasted some tofu until it was crispy and had it with these beans and leftover dressing and it was delicious!  Both miso and tofu come from soybeans, so I guess it’s no surprise that there’s some edible harmony there.

I made the Chinese five-spice powder an optional ingredient not only because it’s somewhat hard to find, but also because I sometimes like the simple, satisfying flavor of the miso dressing without it. Five-spice powder is traditionally used on meat dishes, and is not particularly subtle. You can buy it or make it yourself, but it usually contains star anise, cinnamon, cloves, sichuan pepper and cumin.

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