No-Cook

The Pale Rider swaps out fruit for jalapeno and simply adds manzanilla, a small dose of cane syrup, and lime.

Garlic oil is one of my favorite "secret ingredients" for finishing pizzas. It's quick and easy to make, but it's best made at least an hour in advance. The longer you leave it, the more the garlic flavor infuses into the oil, so I recommend making it a day ahead, at the same time you make your sauce.

This popular Thai dish has been cooked regularly in our kitchen ever since we first tried it in Bangkok. The first time we made it at home, we stayed true to the original recipe by stir-frying rice noodles in a sweet and a slightly spicy sauce, but through the years, it has slowly transformed into something new. Instead of stir-frying rice noodles, we now simply peel a daikon radish (courgette/zucchini also works fine) into thin strips that we toss with carrot strands, tofu and fresh herbs and cover with a peanut butter and lime dressing. Even though we have changed both cooking method and ingredients, it still has that wonderful flavor combination of sweet, nutty, tangy and a little spicy and the experience is light, fresh and, in our opinion, even tastier.

Massaging the dressing into the kale with your hands helps break down some of the fibers so the greens are more tender.

Parsnip, a vegetable usually roasted or pureed, is crunchy, sweet, and delicious raw. Who knew?

Traditionally, punch is made with some kind of spice element. We satisfied that requirement with this tea-infused vermouth, which was a real game changer for us.

I rarely rave about my own recipes, but this is one I can just go on and on about. It is the definition of freshness with its sweet-and-sour late-summer flavors, and it is also an utter delight to look at. But the most incredible thing about it is that it uses a few ingredients that I have been lovingly cooking with for many years, and believed I knew everything there was to know about, yet had never thought of mixing them in such a way. That is, until I traveled to Istanbul and came across a similar combination of fresh tomatoes and pomegranate seeds in a famous local kebab restaurant called Hamdi, right by the Spice Bazaar. It was a proper light-bulb moment when I realized how the two types of sweetness-the sharp, almost bitter sweetness of pomegranate and the savory, sunny sweetness of tomato-can complement each other so gloriously. I use four types of tomato here to make the salad more interesting visually and in flavor. You can easily use fewer, just as long as they are ripe and sweet.

A platter of raw vegetables to share is the perfect way to warm up to the Thanksgiving meal. They're impossible to fill up on, and a great way to show off seasonal produce. Just pick the vegetables that look fresh and enticing, and you'll create a guest-worthy platter.

You need a palate-cleansing salad to balance the rich pork and hearty sides: This is it.

"Because it's cheese! And nuts! In ball form! Best of all, it's infinitely riffable, as these recipes demonstrate. Hurrah, freedom! Hurrah, cheese balls!"

Set this up in advance and serve it at room temperature. The cheese will be soft enough to scoop with a cracker-and will taste better, too.

Toss earthy kale with a bright citrus dressing and finish with a crunch of toasted walnuts. Use baby kale, if possible, for its tender leaves.

As thick and smooth as a milk shake, this berry freeze actually gets its creaminess from chia and avocado, not milk and ice cream. Using frozen berries keeps the drink icy cold (and allows you to make it when berries are out of season), but if you prefer to use fresh, just add a couple of ice cubes when blending.

The best thing about making ranch from scratch? If you like a more garlicky or more herby ranch, the choice is yours to adjust the recipe accordingly.

Loaded with fresh herbs and sturdy kale and then set off by a bright and spicy dressing, this is an ideal counterpoint to the more decadent dishes on the table.