Eating

Hard to say if this is better for breakfast or for dessert. Depends if you want ice cream with it. Either way, it's a light, moist and refreshing cake. Very intense lime flavor makes it vibrant. A little orange for sweet. Olive oil keeps it moist and light. Ten minutes to prepare.

About $1 (12 pesos) for this vibrantly flavored meal. Soft, rich egg. Crisp and soft corn tortilla. Spicy sweet salsa. A spectacular breakfast for 163 calories. OK, maybe mañana. But not later. This is too good, too cheap and too easy.

Risotto primavera. That sounds Better. The world's best rice. With very fresh asparagus. Spring leeks. The splurge: morel mushrooms. You can make a great risotto in 30 minutes. Required kitchen skill: stirring. And not that much.

$2.50 in ingredients for enough rich, flavorful hummus to dip many dozens of chips. Takes 90 seconds and a food processor. A few minutes more with a bowl and spoon. A totally fresh high-fiber, high-protein snack for half the price of store-bought.

Bright, sweet flavors from peas, young leeks and fresh asparagus. Maybe a few baby basil leaves and dill sprigs from the not-really-ready-yet herb garden. A perfect combination with a crisp pizza crust and gooey cheese.

Eggs-Not-Benedict. $2 per person for a satisfying, delightful and foolproof meal you can make for one or ten in 15 minutes. Bake, don't poach. Make aioli, not Hollandaise. And your own English muffins.

Fit for the Royal Wedding. If you're watching it on TV. Another Better Cheaper kitchen revelation. You can make them yourself. And you can make them Better than Thomas'. For a fraction of the store-bought cost.

Maybe it's just the timing. Or maybe it's the actual flavor. After a long winter, they taste really fresh and bright. The way the first really great July tomatoes taste like summer. A month from now, they'll be gone. Try them now in this quinoa salad.