Pestos, Tapenades, and Spreads: 40 Simple Recipes for Delicious Toppings, Sauces & Dips

With little fuss and enormous flavor, transform everyday meals with simple yet creative toppings, dips, and spreads. Forty recipes are paired with multiple serving suggestions for producing yummy (and healthy!) dishes, from appetizers to dinners. With few steps to follow and minimal ingredients to purchase, these recipes—many of which are sensitive to vegans and those with nut and gluten allergies—are built for speed and ease. Fifteen minutes is the total preparation time for Classic Proven?al Tapenade, Balsamic Fig and Caramelized Onion Spread, and Rich Crab Spread. Using fresh ingredients and pantry staples, you'll soon be whipping up tasty pesto faster than you can say 'presto!'

Stacey Printz is the San Francisco Bay area-based author of "The Best 50 Salad Dressings" (Bristol Publishing, 1998). Her work has also been seen at www.chefs.com. She began cooking alongside her gourmet Mom at an early age, and learned the ropes through her mother's work on the "San Francisco Encore" cookbook. With an affinity for fresh, vibrant flavors, Stacey has always developed her own recipes, using home-grown vegetables, and herbs. In addition to being a cook, Stacey is a nationally, and more recently internationally known choreographer, dancer, and educator. She has performed and taught in places such as Ireland, Russia, Lithuania, New York, Los Angeles, Utah, Tennessee and more. Her company, Printz Dance Project, blends athletic modern dance with elements of jazz and hip-hop creating unique yet accessible classes and performances. For more information on her company visit www.printzdance.org

Mark Lund is a photographer in New York City.