Zucchini

A fiber-filled belly warmer from Brian Scheehser, chef at Trellis in Kirkland, Washington.

If your dried cranberries aren't plump and moist, cover them with boiling water and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain them and pat dry before using. If you prefer, walnuts or hazelnuts can be substituted for the pecans.

In this elegant twist on the traditional French method of cooking en papillote, fish fillets become incredibly moist as they steam inside a sheath of zucchini slices.

Papadzules con calabacitas We added zucchini to the eggs in this favorite from the Yucatán Peninsula. It's one of Mexico's great vegetarian dishes.

The classic cold soup seems almost restrained next to this lusty dish — gazpacho ingredients are grilled, then tossed with pasta and cheese (some of the vegetables are puréed to make a tangy sauce that lightly cloaks the whole). The sausages are cooked separately, so this recipe will come in handy when there are vegetarians around.

Grilled and then tossed with a simple mustard vinaigrette, these vegetables turn tender and juicy, providing an ideal foil for the hearty grilled steaks.

Radishes, when roasted, lose their bite and perfectly complement the mellow sweetness of cooked zucchini.

Bibimbop A glorious combination of fresh stir-fried vegetables, each cooked separately to allow its flavors to stay true, is liberally seasoned with garlic and sesame oil. To gild the lily, every serving is topped off with a rich fried egg that gets added just before eating.

This vegetarian showstopper will bowl you over with its layers of flavor — one bite is enough to understand why it's often called one of the world's great dishes. Barley couscous, lighter and more aromatic than the well-known semolina version, serves as a nutty, fluffy base; tender-firm vegetables and a fragrant, golden broth are ladled over; and crunchy fried almonds and sweet onion confit add even more texture and flavor to the beguiling complexity.

Roasted vegetables and Italian Fontina lend this lush-tasting lasagne a more intense flavor than than you'd get with the usual spinach and ricotta filling.

This recipe was created by chef Michael Kornick of MK Restaurant in Chicago. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Treat your taste buds to meals that incorporate all six flavors, like this one from Teresa Long, in-house nutritionist at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Alex Jamieson's book, The Great American Detox Diet.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Italian Two Easy: Simple Recipes from the London River Cafe by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers. To read Epicurious's review of the cookbook, go to The Best Cookbooks of 2006. Vegetables trifolati is a method of slicing and cooking with garlic, olive oil, and parsley. Other ingredients, such as mint, wine, or chiles, are sometimes added. In this recipe we add fresh, ripe tomatoes.

One of the perks of fame: getting five-star food without leaving the sofa. Whenever Denise Richards craves a healthy, delicious meal, she calls private chef Dorte Lambert, founder of DL Creations. Don't be put off by the high fat count in this dish; it's mostly the heart-friendly unsaturated kind.

The beauty of this recipe is that each type of vegetable is cooked on its own skewer for even grilling. The tangy vinaigrette brings out the natural sweetness in the fresh summer vegetables.

You'll hardly recognize your zucchini after transforming it into both a crisp topping and a bed of vegetable "noodles."

It's delicate in flavor and texture. Marjoram fuses with zucchini and egg in this simple, meltingly tender flat omelet—one that Olney found "completely attractive" and insisted is best at room temperature, prepared 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

In this innovative use of zucchini, the vegetable adds body to the mussel-filled broth without being overpowering.

Stuffed vegetables are much loved by Egyptians, and some version of this versatile side dish (stuffed eggplants, peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes are the most popular) will be found at most big, family-style meals and on every restaurant menu. The idea is probably Persian in origin, and has universal appeal. One enormous benefit is that stuffed vegetables are also delicious served at room temperature or cold.