Eating

Big, mouth-filling flavor. Just sweet enough to be dessert. Not too sweet to be breakfast. Amazingly light but luxurious and rich. Better than your best memory of orange creamsicles. If creamsicles knew this was a possibility, they would have changed career paths.

The already rich and delicious brioche bread absorbs so much of the milk, egg and cheese mixture that the French toast looks, feels and tastes like a cheese souffle. That goes perfectly with early Spring asparagus, leeks and radishes. $2.50 per serving.

How is this big, rich, satisfying party-on-a-plate the national dish of Brazil, a country known for bikinis on Ipanema Beach? Well, it's a very Low Glycemic Load meal. No Belly Fat ingredients. Just a combination of flavors that triggers every taste bud receptor in your mouth.

Like risotto, but made with farro. The first cultivated grain. We humans have been growing this stuff for more than 10,000 years. Incredibly high in protein. Great nutty flavor. A light, bright, satisfying meal with a lot of fresh flavors and textures.

Today's the big day. Early Spring, the weather should be fine to make a big party's worth of paella on the grill. But the party goes on even if it's rainy, windy, chilly. The lesson: this is a perfect time for National Spanish Paella Day. Because it's just as great when you make it in the kitchen. Here are three great Ways.

Sweet Tomato-Fennel Risotto. Luscious, elegant and hearty. Deep, richly flavored rice with the bright, sweet flavors of spring and summer. Easy to make it great in 30 minutes. Required kitchen skill: stirring. And not too much of that.

A beef broth with root vegetables like turnips and carrots. A rich beef stock spiked with sherry vinegar and allspice. Very light and very satisfying. Two days worth of Vitamin A and a day's worth of Vitamin C. So what's the turtle story?

Crisp, buttery potatoes. Rich, melting eggplant. A creamy no-cream sauce. And a luscious spiced tomato chickpea blend instead of the traditional ground lamb. A seriously delicious Way to get a high-protein vegetarian dish into your diet.

Replace the classic beef soup stock with bean "pot liquor" aka bean soup. Delicious. Rich. Aromatic. Even better than the classic. More flavorful. Sweetness and earthiness from the beans and the beets.