Susie Middleton's Cookbook "Fast, Fresh & Green"

The vegetable parade is upon us.

And with it, we'll admit, comes some anxiety. With the farmers' markets filling up with shoots and leaves and the first CSA deliveries arriving, we're faced with the annual pressing question: What do we do with all this produce?

This year, thankfully, we have some help. In Susie Middleton's new, vegetable-focused book, Fast, Fresh & Green, she proves there's more than one way to cook a carrot (or green beans–or bok choy for that matter) by introducing a variety of cooking techniques alongside 90-plus quick recipes that will enhance our vegetable repertoire.

Each chapter is centered around a distinct cooking method: Grilling disciples can flip to the grilling chapter for tips on preparing broccoli rabe outdoors, while time-strapped cooks will appreciate the section on "no-cook" recipes, such as an heirloom-tomato-and- peach salad.

Home cooks who want to employ Middleton's "two-stepping" technique, can try this recipe for a lively, potluck-perfect potato salad (click here to download the recipe). First, she boils potatoes and the season's first peas, then she tosses them with a creamy dressing, herbs and lime zest to enhance their flavor.