This sausage, pepper and mushroom pizza is just a little more work than calling for delivery (but not by much), but there’s no tipping required when you make it yourself. Plus you get it fresh from your oven, and with whole-wheat dough and a generous amount of vegetables on top it’s far better for you.

Elevate frozen ravioli with sizzled garlic and shallots, shaved pecorino and fresh arugula. Serve with: Whole-grain baguette and a light-bodied red wine, such as pinot noir.

An easy salad to serve with grilled chicken or steak for supper or on a bed of greens for a satisfying lunch. Substitute white beans or chickpeas for the black-eyed peas if you prefer.

Most of the good stuff in a Philly cheese steak, from thin-sliced steak to onions, peppers and mushrooms, is still here but we opt for slightly-less-gooey but more flavorful provolone cheese in place of Cheese Whiz. We adore spicy banana peppers as a topping, but omit them if you can do without the heat.

This spicy vegetarian stir-fry is a great way to use green beans when they’re bountiful and inexpensive at the supermarket. You can also try it with other vegetables, such as broccoli or peppers, just make sure to cut them into small pieces so that they cook quickly. Coating the tofu in cornstarch before you cook it gives it a light crust.

For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and round out the flavor of the cream filling.

Tomatoes and corn have a natural affinity for one another: the slight acidity of tomatoes balances the sweetness of the corn. Here they partner in a delicious quiche-like pie. The dough is very forgiving and bakes up into a sturdy shell that’s great for just about any savory pie or tart. Perfect for a summer brunch or try it with a tossed salad for a light supper.

Salad nicoise, a classic French salad, is typically made with tuna. Here we use sweet grilled halibut (in season in midsummer) or striped bass. To make it quicker, substitute 2 or 3 cans of drained chunk light tuna. Or skip the fish altogether for a vegetarian main-course salad. We call for serving it on a platter, but it’s just as beautiful individually plated. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Blueberries have just the right mix of acid and pectin so that they're terrific in both sweet and savory dishes. They work especially well with thyme - so this easy turkey saute can be a delight whenever the berries are in season. To make this dish into a meal, dress some quick-cooking barley with lemon and pepper and offer steamed green beans on the side.

The classic combination of steak and potatoes gets a summer makeover with the addition of fresh grilled corn and green beans. Reserve some of the tangy horseradish dressing if you like and toss it with lettuce as a bed for the steak salad. Serve with a glass of cold pilsner.