Take advantage of the season's freshest ingredients by making inventive, delicious side dishes for the dinner table, barbecue, or picnic basket.

A garlicky fava-bean salad brings together the abundant protein and fiber of beans with a slew of antioxidants from summer corn, cucumber, garlic, and parsley.

Peel away the tough exterior of a rutabaga to discover a hearty, firm flesh that's tasty and filling. In addition to this light potato salad, add rutabagas to rustic vegetable soups, or roast them along with other root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and parsnips.

Use you've heated up the grill, cook the corncobs first thing and allow to cool before cutting off the kernels. Scallions and mint leaves lend a cool dimension to the simple salad.

Watermelon replaces the traditional tomato in this Middle Eastern salad, giving it bursts of sweetness. Goat cheese, another new add-in, provides creamy contrast.

The satisfying crunch of walnuts gives a helping of salad greens added dimension; the nuts have a natural affinity for arugula, spinach, endive, and watercress.

There's no mayo in this vegan slaw! Apple slices, ginger, and lemon juice add juicy flavor to shredded red cabbage.

Say goodbye to mayo-laden pasta salads and hello to a plateful of whole grains and veggies. This dish gets creaminess from a bit of creme fraiche, and Mediterranean flavor from garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.

The classic potato salad can be a little heavy on the spud and light on the vegetables. This reboot flips the equation, making up the difference with green beans, leeks, and celery for crunch, and adding cubed tofu for more protein.

Tomatoes take on an intense, almost sweet flavor when roasted, making this typically warm-weather side dish a year-round option.

Baby potatoes get a coating of mashed peas and mint that brings out their inner earthiness in this party-perfect dish.

Celebrate the transition from spring to summer, that very short time when the bounty of both seasons' produce is available, with this fresh, flavorful succotash recipe.

Serve this Southwestern salad to accompany a main dish at your outdoor bash.

Toasting couscous in the pan before adding water imparts a nuttiness that complements the distinctive flavors of mint and parsley.

Mangoes are perfectly suited to grilling because their flesh is sturdy enough to stand up to a good charring.

To ease mealtime preparation, cook the corn and beans early in the day, toss them with olive oil and smashed garlic, and keep them in the refrigerator. To remove corn kernels from the cob, hold the ear upright on its flat end on a cutting board; with a sharp knife, cut along the length of the cob to remove the kernels, turning the cob as you go.

Using high-protein, low-fat buttermilk makes this potato salad taste richer than it is. Leaving the skins on the potatoes means more fiber and flavor.

Jicama is a wonderful vegetable: It is available year-round, delicious raw or cooked, low in calories, high in potassium, and keeps, uncut, in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Shaved from the freshest ears of silver sweet corn, tossed with a little sugar, and cooked just long enough for its natural sugars to concentrate, caramelizing is a great way to cook fresh kernels.

Plum tomato wedges join a baby arugula salad that features Mediterranean accents, including briny Kalamata olives and sweet green peppers. Choose tomatoes with deep-red coloring -- they have more lycopene than pale ones.

Make the slaw a bit early and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of your meal; the slaw tastes better the longer the flavors are allowed to develop.

Vegetables with a high water content cook beautifully on the grill; the dry heat evaporates the water and allows them to brown easily.

Good-quality olive oil and just a pinch of salt will help bring out the natural flavors of this super-simple bruschetta.

The subtle sweetness of blueberries is an unexpected addition to a salad of peppery arugula.

A mixture of grains often served as a warm breakfast cereal, Kashi's 7 Whole Grain Pilaf also works beautifully as an easy, no-cook side dish. Look for it alongside rice and other whole grains in natural-foods stores.

Be sure to cook your orzo al dente; if overcooked, the tiny rice-shaped pasta becomes mushy.

When grilled, marinated bell peppers and onions caramelize into juicy, sweet vegetables.

Prepare this salad and store in the refrigerator, without the cilantro and pistachios, up to two days ahead.

Parsley spruces up this side salad of protein-rich quinoa and crunchy green beans.

Our version of three-bean salad, a perennial picnic favorite, is made by tossing haricots verts, kidney beans, and cannellini with a tangy honey-mustard vinaigrette.

This is the dish to cook when you don't really feel like cooking. It involves minimal swelter in the kitchen and almost no prep. If you can't find jarred tuna, substitute canned.