KiltedCook replaces the called-for blackberries in Alton Brown's grunt recipe with rhubarb, and says it's "[q]uick, easy and oh so tasty." magiesmom likes rhubarb cobbler made with ginger in place of the vanilla and half the cornstarch called for. The cake portion of this rhubarb pudding cake is "moist and vanilla-y with a lovely crumb," says katecm, who recommends cutting the rhubarb in "super small" pieces because the cake doesn't bake long.

Discuss: your best rhubarb crisp, crumble, cobbler, buckle, etc?

Photograph by Chris Rochelle / CHOW.com

Discuss: Pesto Sauce from Costco

Pesto image from Shutterstock

Make wonton cups by pressing the skins into the wells of a mini muffin pan, spraying with oil, and baking until crisp, cheesecake17 suggests. Fill the cups for appetizers, or use them to scoop salsa or dips. Cut fresh wonton skins into triangles and then bake or fry them for good, crisp snack chips; turn them into a sweet nosh by tossing the fried/baked skins in cinnamon sugar. Cut in strips and then fried, the skins make a nice alternative to croutons in salads, iluvcookies says.

Discuss: leftover wonton skins

Wonton image from Shutterstock

The brine from the jalapeño jar is a secret ingredient for marinating beef for carne asada, says Louise. rockycat mixes it with lime juice and garlic to marinate skirt steak. Pour the brine over peeled hard-boiled eggs and refrigerate for a few weeks to make wonderfully spicy pickled eggs, recommends mikkel250.

Want to pickle your own jalapeños? Try CHOW's recipe.

Discuss: Culinary Uses for Pickled Jalapeno

Photograph of Pickled Jalapeño Tuna Boat by Chris Rochelle / CHOW.com

Turning the beans into a simple salad or side makes the most of them. caviar_and_chitlins tosses blanched favas with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, shredded mint, and sea salt, while edwardspk mixes them with small cubes of pecorino cheese, then tosses with olive oil and salt.

For a heartier dish, drongo recommends CHOW's Farro Risotto with Asparagus and Fava Beans (pictured). prima suggests a Greek artichoke and fava stew, and debbiel tosses them with pasta, ricotta, lemon, and mint.

Discuss: What to do with Fava Beans?

Photograph by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

Discuss: Candied sweet potatoes

Discuss: Tricks you figured out in the kitchen and thought 'good one'!!!

Photograph of CHOW's Beer-Braised Pulled Pork Sliders by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

It's especially popular paired with soft cheeses. laliz cuts the rind from the top of a wheel of Brie, spreads the cheese with fig jam, sprinkles on sliced almonds, and bakes. jeanmarieok bakes fig jam and blue cheese in puff pastry, and spazita pairs it with goat cheese in mini phyllo cups. Another idea: CHOW's Fig Jam and Goat Cheese Crostini (pictured).

The Professor combines fig jam with caramelized Vidalia onions, reduced white wine, and a splash of balsamic vinegar to make a sauce for roasted or braised pork. Mixed with champagne vinegar and walnut oil, fig jam makes "a wonderful vinaigrette," says goodhealthgourmet.

On the sweet side, it's wonderful folded into muffin batter or spread on top of thumbprint cookies, hounds say. It's also a main ingredient in a North Carolina specialty, Ocracoke fig cake.

Discuss: Uses for fig jam

Photograph by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

To preserve basil, blend a cup of packed leaves with a cup of mayonnaise plus garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. The resulting basil mayo is wonderful on sandwiches or in potato salad, observes chez cherie, who says it will last five days in the fridge. Packing basil in sea or kosher salt is another option. "It will look ugly, but the flavor will be there if you need it in cooked dishes," algct says.

A handful of cilantro blended with Greek yogurt and a jalapeño is "great on tacos or any Mexican dish - cool and spicy," says jmcarthur8. Make an Indian-inspired cilantro-mint chutney for dipping samosas into, or a Canary Islands–style cilantro sauce to serve with potatoes. Both keep well in the fridge.

Discuss: Ideas for leftover fresh basil?
Favorite ways to use up a giant bunch of cilantro?

Topping a bowl of labne with a generous drizzle of honey and nuts is “by far my favorite way” to eat it, says bulavinaka, while zataar spreads it on a whole-grain English muffin, drizzles with honey, and tops with plenty of black pepper.

If you want to incorporate labne into a more complex dish, consider this bulgur pilaf with spinach and roasted tomatoes, which is “very tasty,” says Emily Hope. “Even my husband, who groans every time I bring out the bulgur, approved!”

Discuss: Uses for labne

Labne image from Shutterstock

These chewy molasses squares are a “sweet treat with a purely molasses flavor,” says Becca Porter, who thinks they “really are incredible!” And this granola recipe “is awesome for molasses lovers - like a gingersnap for breakfast!” says julesrules.

Discuss: Molasses...

Molasses image from Shutterstock

Chowhounds like to pair broccoli rabe with pasta. magiesmom cooks pasta, adding the rabe for the last five minutes, then tosses the drained pasta and greens with garlic sautéed in olive oil. Orecchiette with rabe and spicy sausage is “one of the best and easiest dishes around,” Mel.D says. For a variation, try CHOW’s Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Red Pepper Flakes, and Anchovies.

bob96 makes a pesto by blending grated cheese and rabe braised with garlic and olive oil, then tosses it with rice or pasta. Isolda makes a rice dish by sautéing garlic, then adding rice, red pepper flakes, white wine, blanched broccoli rabe, and chicken stock or water before covering and simmering until the rice is done.

Grilling is a great way to cook rabe, according to Jason_King, who says it “tastes wonderful with a little char on it.” MGZ drizzles it with olive oil and salt and roasts it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for around 20 minutes, and erica recommends it baked with Parmesan.

Discuss: Broccoli Rabe - alternatives to sauteing?

Photograph of CHOW's Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

"I love pan fried chicken hearts, but grilled is even better. My favorite is to marinate briefly (maybe 30 minutes) in the adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles plus some lime or lemon juice. Skewer a bunch of hearts, and grill over charcoal or under the broiler. If you don't like it so hot, try a soy sauce + sesame oil + ginger + garlic + lemon marinade. Or if you're a minimalist, just brush with olive oil and sprinkle on some kosher salt." - Zeldog

"I use a Chinese dredge consisting of 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of corn starch with some salt and pepper ... I pat them dry and flip them in the dredge and fry them in peanut oil. I'll either eat them in a sandwich of toasted bread or by themselves. And I eat every bit, leaving nothing behind. They are so delicious. Yes the inside is a little stronger in flavor but that's part of the experience for me." - Cremon on soft-shell crabs

Leeks braised with butter and chicken broth "are divine," nofunlatte says. waver likes them steamed whole (or halved lengthwise if large) and doused with a mustardy vinaigrette. asulikeit grills them with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice, and Harters says halved leeks baked with olive oil and Parmesan are a "great starter with some crusty bread."

RUK sautés leeks and double-smoked bacon and puts the mixture on a pizza crust with lots of pepper and caraway seeds before baking. And valerie recommends this rich leek bread pudding.

Discuss: Huge leek harvest....HELP!!!

Photograph of CHOW's Braised Leeks by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

RelishPDX also used Blumenthal's approach to preparing consommé by straining frozen stock through cheesecloth as it melts, thereby achieving a perfectly clear result without the traditional egg white raft. The one drawback to doing it this way, notes wattacetti, is that you may lose up to half the volume of your stock in the gelatin that stays behind in the cheesecloth.

Discuss: Heston Blumenthal's Stock and Consommé Recipes

Pot roasts can cook entirely on the stove, but they also work well in the slow cooker, provided you first brown the meat in a sauté pan that gets deglazed (this method is used for CHOW's Garlicky Pot Roast, pictured). Another option is to do the braising in the oven. "All my life I made pot roast on a burner, slow simmering. It was great," says 512window. "Then, one time, I tried it in the oven, same recipe. It was sublime. I can't explain it, but I've used the oven ever since."

escondido123 advises choosing a braising liquid that will add flavor—such as red wine, dark beer, or puréed tomatoes—and making sure its depth is no more than two-thirds that of the meat. (If you're using a slow cooker, add less liquid or you run the risk of meat that tastes as if it were boiled, acgold7 says.) escondido123 removes the meat and vegetables when they're done and reduces the sauce, using an immersion blender to smooth it, and checks the seasoning for salt and pepper.

firecooked likes this pot roast with porcini mushrooms, and splatgirl recommends one with caraway seeds and apples, saying she usually reduces the sauce at the end.

Discuss: Do you have a tried and true pot roast recipe?

Photograph of CHOW's Garlicky Pot Roast by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com

"When I get too much celery from my CSA (which is every time I get celery, really) I cut it into 3 inch lengths and put it in the dehydrator for a few days until leathery. Then, when I want it for soup, I just reach into a ziplock and pull out what I need." - ldkelley

"When I come home from ethnic stores, my cell phone camera is always jam-packed with pictures I've taken when I'm in the stores. Then I have a day of research and reading about these products. What great fun!" - Rella

Our newly launched Chowhound Vegetarian & Vegan board is a place where you’ll find (and can share) vegetarian and vegan recipes, tips on Chowhounds’ favorite meat- and animal-free products, and other valuable resources for anyone interested in exploring the culinary potential of vegetables, fruits, grains, and nonanimal proteins. On the Chowhound Special Diets board, you’ll find tips and recipes for gluten-free eating, avoiding nuts and lactose, those with food allergies, and serious low-carb diets like paleo.

For existing Chowhounds, the CHOW family just got a little bigger. And for all the new Chowhounds these boards will foster, welcome to the savviest, most food-focused community of eaters on the Web!

Photograph of CHOW's Quinoa Chowder by Christopher Rochelle

One strategy for deepening the flavor of vegetable stocks is to start by roasting the vegetables. ElsieDee saves vegetable scraps in the freezer; roasts them with carrots, celery, and quartered, unpeeled onions in olive oil "until they smell rich"; then deglazes the roasting pan with wine or water and simmers the vegetables for a few hours. will47 says this roasted vegetable stock is "more expensive than just using scraps, but I get good results." He often reduces the finished stock a great deal and freezes it in small cubes.

Another way to increase depth is to use ingredients rich in umami, along with vegetables. "I have found that dried shiitake mushrooms, seaweed, and Parmesan rinds (if it doesn't have to be vegan) are must-haves for a decent tasting veggie stock," DGresh says. goodhealthgourmet uses mushrooms and miso in combination, because she finds "that they balance each other so your stock doesn't become too salty or mushroom-y." IndyGirl likes the stock method in this recipe, which uses soy sauce to add umami.

A different approach, but one that works well as a base for soups, says meatn3, is to simply simmer raw, shelled nuts in water. This produces "a hearty yet clean flavor," meatn3 says.

Discuss: Homemade Stock

Cucumber gazpacho is a favorite of Jzone's, as either a starter or palate cleanser. Jzone makes it from cucumbers, fresh mint, shallots, garlic, jalapeño, olive oil, lime juice, and white wine vinegar. nofunlatte makes a chilled soup by puréeing peeled, seeded, chopped cucumbers with plain yogurt, dill or parsley, and salt and pepper, seasoning to taste with lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

While the recipe for baked cucumbers from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking "sounds very weird," greygarious says, "they are a revelation." A different option is a cucumber casserole with tomatoes, carrots, and cheese; this freezes well, pinehurst says. And RUK loves cucumbers sautéed with onions, garlic, and tomatoes, seasoned with lots of pepper and caraway seeds.

Ice cubes made from puréed cucumbers are good in a Bloody Mary, says ninrn. Or use cucumber juice as the base for a cocktail, as in CHOW's Cucumber Margarita.

Discuss: Help! Too many cucumbers!

Photograph of CHOW's Cucumber Margarita by Christopher Rochelle / CHOW.com