Sweet and sour isn’t just for Asian food. Agrodolce, an Italian sweet and sour sauce made by reducing honey and vinegar with dried fruit elevates already delicious roasted winter squash into a side dish simple enough for a weeknight dinner and special enough for a holiday celebration.

Sugary beets are tempered with tannic pomegranate and earthy fennel balanced against a floral fennel yogurt and tender greens in a bright, lemon vinaigrette. The bright red beets and pomegranate seeds pop against fresh lettuce providing a beautifully festive start to a special meal.

So simple, so delicious. Heat is a time-tested trick to balance the bitterness of kale while pecans add nuttiness to balance the grassy flavors of these quick-cooked greens. A high-quality, flavorful olive oil will stand out amidst the short list of ingredients.

Meaty mushrooms, rich cauliflower and meaty potatoes combine into a vegetarian stew hearty enough that omnivores won’t miss the meat and light enough that you won’t feel weighed down. Anchovy filets, thyme and dry Vermouth add the complex layers of flavor making this deeply satisfying.

Over the past year we’ve been eating lunch at home. As your kids head back to school and many of us head back to the office we still want to eat the delicious, healthy lunches we enjoyed at home. Enjoy these quick, easy and satisfying meals that celebrate seasonal ingredients.

This fall salad celebrates the farmers market with candy-sweet, roasted Delicata squash, peppery arugula, meaty Shitake mushrooms, and toasted pepitas - hull-less pumpkin seeds - for a nutty crunch. A sweet balsamic vinaigrette brings together a salad special enough for Saturday guests and simple enough for a weekday, work-from-home lunch.

A crunchy, sweet, fall farmers-market-fresh take on the classic Lebanese dish. Quinoa replaces cracked bulgur wheat and apples add sweetness while toasted walnuts add a rich crunch. Make a double batch to break out for lunch or a quick snack.

This quesadilla, crisp-crusted and oozing cheese, celebrates one last summer harvest, boosting late-season vegetables with a little extra time on the stove and additional flavor from herbs and spices. This is hearty enough for a simple dinner and scales up easily for a crowd.

Soup in summer? Sweet corn and rich cream get a bright burst from the acid in fresh summer tomatoes and a finishing splash of sherry vinegar. The corn’s starches reduce the need for lots of cream, keeping this soup a nice light, summer weight.

This is a late-summer harvest tossed with a hearty plateful of pasta and topped with lots of grated parmesan cheese. Vinegar and basil keep end-of-season produce tasting fresh and bright. One taste and you’ll be making this a lot earlier next year.

Watermelon gazpacho the way it was meant to be: cold, bright, sweet and refreshing! Honey brings out the sweet fruit, a pinch of salt pops the tangy tomatoes, lime and jalapeño bring brightness!

My new book, Simple Summer: a recipe for joy and connection, is almost here and to celebrate the launch I am giving away three free copies along with a pantry selection of my favorite locally sold and crafted products including olive oils and vinegars, hot sauce and barbecue sauce, whole grain rice, milled flour and jam. To enter the give away do the following:

Classic Italian flavors — sweet summer tomatoes, bitter, salty capers and a bright red wine vinaigrette loaded with fresh basil and oregano — come together with Farfalle bowties for a quick, fresh and clean pasta salad ready for your next cookout. It might inspire your guests, like mine, to say this is the best pasta salad ever.

Creamy, baked zucchini and tomato are topped with runny, melted, fresh mozzarella. Surprising herbal notes from Za’atar, a North African blend of sesame seeds, sumac and herbs, will remind you of Italian seasoning but with something special and new. The simplicity of this dish belies layer upon layer of bright, rich summer flavor.

These oh-so-simple-to-make tiny soup dumplings, closer in size to orzo than gnocchi, gain earthy flavor and just a bit of chew from the addition of earthy Crimini mushrooms. Use them to garnish asparagus soup or as a year-round side dish tossed with butter and fresh herbs from parsley to sage.

Three years ago I gave my first TV appearance with Great Day Washington. Today I am back with Kristen Berset talking about the release of my new series, Jonathan’s Kitchen: Seasons to Taste, available on-demand now on Revry!

There are five ingredients in this dish and each one counts. Tender pea tendrils, the young shoots of pea plants, are a sweet addition to farm fresh eggs, cream and rich butter. Buy a cheddar cheese with a little bite to give the eggs a little pop.

My Mom joins me in the kitchen just in time for Mother’s Day as we share brunch and dessert recipes for all of your moms with the folks at ABC7 WJLA in DC for . Happy Mother’s Day!

The crunch of toasted, warm, freshly-baked bread, with melted sharp, nutty cheese, olive oil-fried, fresh, richly-flavored eggs, with bright orange yolks, browned on the edges, and crisp greens dressed in a sharp Champagne vinaigrette made with sweet summer shallots. This is how you celebrate the weekend’s treasures from the farmer’s market. Slowly, indulgently, and with great joy.

Every element of this classic spring and summer dessert can be elevated - delicate, hand whipped cream, strawberries macerated with a splash of Grand Mariner and scones flavored with a pinch of cardamom. This is strawberry shortcake at its best!