Peppery watercress fills in for traditional greens. January is peak season for fresh Chilean peaches—ripen at room temperature in a brown paper bag until fragrant and juicy.

Don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients in the paella. This is an easy dish to make, and the results are splendid. If saffron isn’t available, substitute 1 teaspoon turmeric (but don’t dissolve in water).

Per serving: 372 calories, 10g protein, 6g, total fat, 1g saturated fat, 67g, carbohydrates, 0mg cholesterol, 611mg sodium, and 6g fiber

This recipe is awesome and I get asked for it all the time. I usually pack as many bananas into it as possible because I’m trying to use up as much fruity goodness as I can. If you like breadier banana bread, use the lesser amount; more will mean a denser, gooier product. If I’m making them in sheet cake form, I like to thinly slice a few extra bananas, lay them over the top of the batter before baking, and sprinkle with a little sugar; it’ll caramelize while baking and leave you with pretty, presentable squares.

I’ve quadrupled this recipe time and time again to no ill effect, which makes it great for baking in advance. The muffins freeze and thaw well, so I often have a ready-made batch on hand.

You can also make these fat-free — just substitute out the oil for applesauce. Approach add-ins as you will; this is really a no-fail recipe.

Yields 1 loaf or 12 muffins

Eggplant Dip has a great texture with a tangy, vinegary, seasoned taste that is mellowed with pita. I also like to smear the dip inside warm crepes for a different kind of presentation.

This recipe is pretty flexible. Broccoli, asparagus, or another vegetable will stand in nicely. Noodles could substitute for rice. Orange juice will cover for clementine. This is a great recipe to adapt to use your favorite ingredients, or at least the ones you have sitting in your fridge at the moment.

This isn’t a real teriyaki sauce, but it’s definitely inspired by one. Teriyaki sauce is one of those things that is really easy to make at home successfully, so if you’ve been going without or buying expensive bottles of the stuff, you can stop! It literally has three ingredients – soy sauce, sugar, and mirin – but you can obviously get creative with it if you like.

I added clementine zest and juice to my teriyaki sauce. I love the sweetness and the bright citrus note it adds. I think any citrus you have would work here, and you can even leave it out altogether: just substitute water for the juice and add a little more sugar if you like.

Winter is high season for clementines. If you haven’t already picked up one of those enticing wooden crates full of them at the supermarket, I encourage you to do so. They are sweet, seedless, easy to peel, and all-around amazing. You will finish the entire crate, I promise you. And if not, now you have a recipe to use some of them in.

If you like, add some sesame oil, or garlic, or ginger to the sauce. I love it how it is, and appreciate its simplicity, but this sauce can be used more as a base sauce you can embellish any which way you like.

Minestrone is an Italian soup which takes its name from “minestra” which refers to a hearty or chunky soup. There are probably as many different recipes for minestrone as there are people who cook it and every region of Italy has its traditional minestrone soup for which it is famous. However, all minestrone soups usually feature a tomato based broth (this could be thin or thick) with onion, celery, beans, seasonal vegetables and sometimes pasta or rice.

So minestrone is a soup that very easily adapts itself to what is available in one’s kitchen. And given the ingredients it accommodates, it makes for a nutritious and filling one-dish meal.

This recipe is adapted from Tarla Dalal’s The Complete Italian Cookbook. She says that this particular minestrone with pesto is from Milan. The pesto lends the minestrone a nutty flavour and can be made ahead, but add it just before you finish making the minestrone. This minestrone is best served as soon as it is made.