Vegetable

Szechuan peppercorn's unique flavor is tingly and refreshing rather than chile-hot. You can find them in gourmet shops or online. You can also substitute a pinch of red-pepper flakes if you'd prefer a bit of heat instead.

Steaming might seem a surprising way to start cooking a turkey, but the payoff is real: The extra step makes the bird extra-juicy, and cuts down on the overall cooking time.

If you can't find sweet, savory dried Chinese sausage, use an equal weight of maple-cured bacon instead.

Prep the savory hash and refrigerate in individual ramekins for a quick and 
easy breakfast; just top with an egg and bake.

If using large mustard greens, remove the tough stems and tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Smaller leaves can be left whole.

Herbaceous and packed with fiber and protein, this grain salad is a keeper.

This vibrant soup is especially delicious alongside baguette toasts topped with melted cheese.

Toast the cornbread for a nice crisp texture.

Even if you're not an oyster person, you'll love this buttery, broiled approach.

Everyone loves a Bundt, and a sweet-potato version drizzled with coffee-chocolate sauce is hard to beat.

This dish is only as good as the crab it's made with; buy the freshest you can find.

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

Frozen corn and cranberries are the secret to these festive flapjacks.

Using miso on the turkey is a great way to get wonderfully moist meat — always a challenge at Thanksgiving. The skin doesn't get as crisp as it would without, but we think the succulent results are well worth the trade-off. The miso won't give the turkey an Asian flavor, but it will add a rich meatiness to the gravy. Don't use a brined or kosher turkey for this recipe or the bird will be too salty (miso has a high sodium content).

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

These irresistible garlic bread bites can be served as an appetizer or a snack. If you have leftovers (though we doubt you will!), try them sprinkled over soups or salads.

Garlic oil is one of my favorite "secret ingredients" for finishing pizzas. It's quick and easy to make, but it's best made at least an hour in advance. The longer you leave it, the more the garlic flavor infuses into the oil, so I recommend making it a day ahead, at the same time you make your sauce.

Feta, Kalamata olives, oregano, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice give this grilled-squash pizza its unmistakably Greek flavor. I use a panini press to grill the slices of yellow squash and zucchini because I love the look and slightly charred flavor this method produces. You can also cook the squash in the oven or on a grill or stove-top grill pan. Grilling the cut face of a lemon half in the same way gives it a beautiful appearance and tones down its acidity a bit.