Lime

Fresh and bright, with the pure flavors of sweet corn and tart lime juice, this creamy, vegan soup is choice for a light meal on a late summer day.

Puréed kale leaves give this lighter guacamole an extra dose of fiber and Vitamin A.

Tacos al pastor—made from marinated pork that's been roasted on a vertical spit—are wildly popular in Mexico City, particularly at night. The best taqueros put on a show, slicing off bits of caramelized meat and catching it in one hand (or behind their back!), and then reaching above the meat to slice off a piece of warm, juicy pineapple. According to city folklore, these tacos were invented in the capital. The dish is a direct descendant of shawarma, brought by Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Mexico in the early twentieth century. The marinade in this recipe comes from Tacos Don Guero in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, whose taqueros were kind enough to explain their ingredients to me at six a.m. one weekday morning. Obviously very few people at home will have a vertical spit—part of what gives tacos al pastor its signature flavor—but a grill would work well, or a blazing-hot cast iron skillet or griddle greased with a little lard.

Serve this cooling mint-infused watermelon juice as cooling refreshment in the summer sun.

Tomatoes and fresh corn salsa add a Mexican twist to the classic avocado toast. To add a smoky flavor to the mix, grill the corn first.

An addition of cornmeal gives these bars a sandy, crunchy, slightly savory crust that’s perfectly complemented by tart lime curd and sweet blueberry glaze.

This play on the classic whiskey smash incorporates spicy, dark rum and the pride of July farmers' markets everywhere: fresh cherries.

Always use firm-fleshed white fish, without skin and bones, to prepare classic ceviche. Avoid oily or fatty varieties of fish.

Toss the first juicy, sweet cherries of the season into this salad, along with rotisserie chicken and a vibrant creamy horseradish dressing.

Cooking corn this way adds a depth of flavor from the husk and keeps the kernels from drying out. Tossed together with zucchini and scallions, these quesadillas make for a super-satisfying vegetarian dinner.

Coffee-Cherry Simple Syrup lends fruity and floral notes to this refreshing summer cocktail. The name is misleading: the syrup contains neither cherries nor coffee beans. When harvesting coffee, farmers pick coffee cherries, which are shelled for their bean pits. The beans are roasted to become the coffee you know. While the cherries are usually discarded, you can actually steep their husks in hot water for an aromatic tea.

Take fried fish, break it up, and douse it with lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, chiles, and cilantro, and you have an incredible jumble of textures and flavors. Because you hack the fish into bits, there's no need to find perfect-for-presentation fillets, so this is a great way to use those that aren't flawless, as long as they're fresh.

A traditional highball drink that's very low in sugar, it's also incredibly popular at soda fountains sans alcohol. The lime and bitters are a great pairing with the naturally sweet coconut water.

That's a whole lotta citrus in this here recipe. If you want to make a citrus cookie that tastes like you climbed up a tree and plucked a cookie off the branch, that's what it takes.

These pretty (gluten-free!) butter cookies come in three flavors: lime, lemon, and grapefruit. Or just pick one variety and triple the amount of zest and juice. You'll find psyllium-husk powder, flax seed, chia seed, and rice-based gluten-free flour at most natural foods stores.

This zesty combination makes a lively snack or tasty addition to salads and grain dishes any time of year.

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

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.

One of my favorite post-shift hangouts was Painkiller NYC, where my buddy Richie Boccato made a mean Dark and Stormy at his tiki cocktail haven. Sadly, the bar is long gone; I raise my glass to Richie and the best Dark and Stormy anywhere. It is a favorite cocktail of mine, so I thought the combination of rum, lime, and lots of ginger would be really refreshing in a frozen dessert. This is a great summertime treat-light and airy but with a nice boozy kick. What really makes this is the fresh ginger juice. Grate peeled fresh ginger into a small fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Once you have a fair amount of pulp, squeeze the juice out of it. You'll need a fairly large piece of fresh ginger, about 12 ounces (335 grams) to get enough juice.

The following is a slightly-NSFW recipe from the brilliant minds behind the popular cooking blog Thug Kitchen. To learn more about them, read our profile.—Epicurious Editors Grab beer and get to work. Just don't get sloppy 'til you're done cooking.