Being a Jersey girl, this salad showcases two of my favorite local ingredients, corn and tomatoes. This salad is best at the peak of summer when corn is most sweet, fresh, and juicy. Its light, crisp flavor makes a delicious side dish when served with grilled meats, or it can also stand alone as a light lunch. —Jen Balletto

To our minds the most masterful use of stale bread occurs in Italian cuisine, where a few leftover slices are the basis for a most heavenly salad with fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil.

Broccoli-nut salad is a Southern potluck staple. Raw broccoli florets are combined with grated carrots, diced red onions, and candied walnuts then tossed with a slightly tangy and sweet dressing. Some folks add bacon bits, others add dried cranberries or raisins, and then there are those that mix in salted peanuts, but we like ours with candied walnuts.

This is a cheat's spring meal in that two of the three main ingredients (peas and breadcrumbs) are frozen... but when the peas pop in your mouth with the fresh lemon and mint and you mix the creamy burrata with the crispy breadcrumbs, I promise it'll satisfy all your spring cravings.

Why just chop up summer fruit when you can shave it into gorgeous ribbons? —Scheherezade Daftary

I spent a portion of summer after college graduation “backpacking” (we duffle-bagged) through Europe with three of my best friends. We had a detailed itinerary which included a brief two days on the French Rivierra.

As with most soup, the seasonings can be adjusted according to your taste. (And as you all know by now, I didn't put a bay leaf in because you-know-who hates bay, but bay leaf is great in gumbo, so go for it.)

I often find amazing mushrooms, both wild and cultivated, at our local farmers market. I've made this soup with cremini, shitake, button, hen of the woods, oyster, chanterelle, and many other local wild types. This soup is velvety and satisfying. —MrsWheelbarrow

Bitter tasting foods contribute to better health but sadly, these foods are largely absent in a typical western diet. Inside our digestive system, bitter tasting foods do wonders! They reduce water retention in our bodies while cleansing our inner organs and blood.

Ribollita is a traditional centuries-old Tuscan soup that is made with vegetables and beans and thickened with stale bread. The word “ribollita” actually means “reboiled,” as the soup is traditionally made from reboiling leftover vegetable soup the next day with the addition of bread.

This recipe was my second attempt at laksa, a tangy and spicy Southeast Asian soup, using a combination of different recipes and ideas from around the web.

Avocado experimentation, gone horribly right. A light, airy dumpling with chunks of cool avocado. For the dumplings, I modified Ian Knauer's recipe from his book "The Farm" by adding avocado, cilantro, garlic, and lime zest in place of the dill and scallions. —Megan Taylor

This is a riff on the classic Portuguese Caldo Verde, a deceptively simple soup of olive oil, potatoes, Linguica sausage, and kale. I got the idea to substitute cauliflower for the potatoes from a mashed-potato alternative of cauliflower, fennel seed, and white beans my father used to make.

I usually don't follow a recipe for soup, and I rarely write one down. I wrote up this one for publication, and even if I don't follow it exactly every time, at least I've got a good framework now. —Foodwriter97426

This is one of my favorite cold soups for the summer. If cucumber's not your thing, you can prepare this soup with zucchini, tomato, celery, or a combination of all of those vegetables. Avocado is a perfect base for an easy soup like this, and it will give you a canvas that is endlessly adaptable. —Gena Hamshaw

A lovely, simple, flavorful curry full of Southeast Asian flavors.