This fresh blueberry salad is perfect for a backyard cookout or poolside party. Pair it with grilled chicken, pork chops, or fish—or serve it up with a smorgasbord of classic summer sides like potato salad and cole slaw. The blueberries are the stars here, so select the best ones you can find. Look for ripe berries that have a dark blue color and a juicy "pop" when eaten. If you can't find fresh berries, you can substitute frozen ones in a pinch. Simply thaw the blueberries under room temperature water, then pat dry with paper towels.
This delicious and healthy lentil salad comes together in just 30 minutes and makes a wonderful hot-weather meal. Serve with whole-wheat pitas, if desired.
These delicious Foil Pack Italian Sausage and Veggie meals combine smoked sausage, sweet bell peppers, savory mushrooms, tender potatoes, minced garlic, and diced yellow onions with olive oil and an incredible Italian-inspired seasoning blend. Wrap everything in some foil and bring them along camping or cook it on the grill. Stuck in the house? No problem, you can bake these family-friendly foil packs in the oven!
Corn slathered in miso butter is special enough, so you’re within your rights to ignore any other ingredients in this recipe. But for lovers of spice, the Japanese spice blend shichimi togarashi is worth seeking out. In English, it translates to “seven-flavor chile pepper,” though not all of those seven flavors are chile: There’s also roasted orange peel, sesame seeds, ground ginger and seaweed in the mix. Add it gradually, so as not to overpower the subtle flavor of the miso butter (and because everyone likes a different amount of spice). If you can’t find shichimi togarashi, substitute crushed red-pepper flakes.
Canned pumpkin purée and coconut milk, heavily seasoned with curry spices and lots of fresh lime juice, make a sweet-sharp sauce for chickpeas. It’s a rich, creamy curry that you can eat on its own, or serve over rice or couscous. If you want to incorporate more vegetables, stir in some spinach, baby kale or sliced green beans during the last few minutes of cooking, letting them soften in the sauce.
Make some instant ramen. Slide an egg into the hot broth, then some butter. Crown the steaming noodles with slices of American cheese. Scatter a bunch of toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions across the top, if you want to. Hardly a recipe! But for the chef Roy Choi, who gave it to The Times in 2014, doctored instant ramen is a taste of Korean-American straight-from-the-bag soul food. The butter, egg and cheese help coat the ramen noodles and deepen their flavor. “It’s our snack, it’s our peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it’s our bowl of cereal,” Mr. Choi said. “It’s something that has been a part of my life forever.”
Inspired by Thai green papaya salad, this vibrant dish boasts a colorful medley of thinly sliced raw veggies; they’re electrified by a lime-and-fish sauce vinaigrette. This recipe builds upon a base of fresh asparagus, which is supercrisp, with a sweet, mildly grassy flavor, and cherry tomatoes. You can combine them with any mix of vegetables that are on hand: Radishes, cucumbers, carrots, snap peas, cabbage and yellow bell peppers are all great additions, each bringing their unique flavor and texture to the party. The just-tossed salad is bright and crunchy, but if you happen to wind up with leftovers, let the vegetables marinate in the dressing overnight and they transform into a pickled side dish that’s delightful in sandwiches or with grilled steak.
If you have an electric pressure cooker, you can throw together a big batch of spicy chicken and black bean tacos in about 30 minutes. Smoky canned chipotles in adobo and honey do most of the heavy lifting here, combining to create a glossy, spicy-sweet sauce. Chipotles can pack varying levels of heat, so if you want your tacos on the milder side, use only one or two peppers. You can always drizzle with hot sauce at the table. The pickled onions are not absolutely necessary, but they add acidity and crunch that contrast nicely with the spicy shredded chicken. (Get the slow cooker version of this recipe here.)
A good corn soup is creamy and naturally sweet; an even better corn soup is spicy, refreshing and addictive. In this recipe, it’s the combination of shallots, garlic, ginger, chiles and coconut milk, rather than heavy cream or butter, that makes the soup at once cooling and rich. It’s a dinner in a bowl (and a vegan one at that), but it would surely welcome a side of steamed rice or salad of leafy greens. To serve, add garnishes that are any combination of spicy (extra fresh chile or store-bought chile oil), crunchy (toasted coconut, chopped peanuts or cashews, fried shallots) or fresh (torn cilantro, chopped scallions), and it’ll be even more dynamic.
Spicy heat plays well with melty cheese (think: queso dip, stuffed jalapeños, Buffalo wings and blue cheese). Here, kimchi and mozzarella cheese come together for a twist on the classic grilled cheese. Mildly flavored mozzarella is an especially good choice in this recipe because it lets the kimchi shine, but you could also add ¼ cup of grated Cheddar, Monterey Jack or even pepper Jack for more kick. If you have grilled steak, roasted vegetables or practically any other savory leftover in your fridge, chop it up and add about ¼ cup to your sandwich along with the kimchi. Smearing mayonnaise on the bread, instead of butter, might sound weird, but it won’t burn as quickly as butter, allowing the cheese ample time to melt, and the bread to toast up to golden perfection. (Watch the video of Ali Slagle making kimchi grilled cheese here.)
This delicious healthy granola recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). It’s made with oats, coconut oil and your favorite nuts and fruit. Make it your own! Recipe yields about 8 cups granola, enough for about 16 half-cup servings.
Blistered Shishito and Corn Salad with avocado, queso fresco, and a light cumin vinaigrette. This summer-fresh salad is easy to make and will be the hit of any cookout.
Chicken meatballs may not be a traditionally Moroccan dish, but they work beautifully when spiced with paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and garlic, which are commonly found in the country’s cuisine. Whole-milk yogurt does double duty here: It’s used to make the meatballs moist and tender, and makes for a speedy sauce to serve with them. Don’t use ground chicken made with ultralean breasts; look for labels that show a mix of white and dark meat. (Or if you’re feeling ambitious, grind your own boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the food processor.) Serve the meatballs with couscous and a green vegetable for a flavorful weeknight dinner that’s well worth the effort.
Healthy baked tandoori cauliflower bites that sound fancy (look and taste fancy, too) but are very easy to make at home. This Indian spicy cauliflower is an ideal party snack to impress guests. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, the cooking method is as straightforward as it can get.
Like air-fryer French fries, air-fryer sweet potatoes achieve similar success, utilizing less oil and requiring less time than deep-fried versions. While sweet potato fries won’t crisp up as much as their potato counterparts, that’s part of the appeal, offering textural contrast of creamy centers and charred tips. Oomph from any of your favorite spices would work well here, along with the paprika. Sumac could add a punch of brightness or a dash of cayenne can impart some heat. If your air fryer basket is larger, try a bigger sweet potato for a higher serving — but don’t overfill it with sweet potatoes, or they’ll steam rather than crisping in spots.
This traditional Sicilian pasta dish of sautéed eggplant tossed with tomato sauce and topped with ricotta salata makes for a satisfying vegetarian dinner, and it can be thrown together in under an hour.
A take on the Mediterranean combination of watermelon and feta, this refreshing zinger of a salad couldn’t be more perfect. Unassumingly simple, the sweet melon, salty cheese and fragrant basil reach their peak when doused with white balsamic vinegar and dribbled with fruity olive oil. Rather than building tall, this salad builds wide — so use a large platter for the most dramatic presentation. Vinegared watermelon does not keep its crisp, juicy texture well, so be sure to dress it (and eat it) the moment the last basil leaf falls.
When you think of rhubarb you probably think of strawberry-rhubarb pie, a quintessential spring dessert, especially if it’s made by someone who makes good pies. I usually manage around one pie crust annually, so I need alternatives. Thus, when the spring’s first rhubarb shows up, I adjust the execution and produce a crisp. If rhubarb is young and fresh, you can trim it in seconds. If it has fibrous outer strings, peel them off as you would those of celery. Toss the rhubarb with orange or lemon juice and zest, and only a little sugar. (You can also substitute strawberries for some of the rhubarb if you want the classic combination.) Blend the ingredients for the crisp topping in a food processor, crumble the topping over the rhubarb mixture, and bake — it is nearly effortless and as good or better than a pie.
Requiring just one pan, this recipe yields supremely crisp, juicy chicken thighs and hot honey schmaltz, which serves as a warm vinaigrette for sturdy greens and a sauce for your — let’s say it again — supremely crisp, juicy chicken thighs. Squint and the flavors are reminiscent of fried chicken with a side of braised collards: Crackly chicken cozied up next to spicy, tangy and a little-sweet greens fortified by animal fat. Make your honey-schmaltz as spicy as you wish: Green chiles will pack more heat than red.
If stuffed mushrooms grew up into a main course, it would be this one-pan dinner. To start, sausages and mushrooms roast on a sheet pan, leaving behind seasoned pan drippings. Next, in a move inspired by Judy Rodgers’s roast chicken with bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, torn bread pieces are tossed with the drippings, then sent back to the oven to toast. The toasted bread is then tossed with arugula, red-wine vinaigrette and the roasted mushrooms, making a great mix of crispy, tangy and spicy bites. Crusty bread can be hard to tear from the loaf, but the rough edges make a more interesting final product: To ease the process, slice the bread ½-inch-thick, then slice crosswise ½-inch thick, then tear little pieces from there.
Baking pearl couscous with chickpeas, roasted tomatoes and garlic results in a one-pan vegetarian meal that’s cozy and very savory, especially if you use a flavorful stock for cooking. Soft and almost porridgelike in texture, it satisfies the same urge as polenta or risotto. Lemon zest and fresh herbs make it bright, while feta, added at the end, gives the whole thing a creamy richness. Save leftovers to bring to work for lunch the next day; they pack up perfectly. If you feel like you need more vegetables here to round out the meal, serve this on a bed of baby spinach, some of which will wilt on contact with the hot couscous.
For a fantastic meal that can be ready in 20 minutes, toss together seared gnocchi and sautéed brussels sprouts with lemon zest, red-pepper flakes and brown butter. The key to this recipe is how you cook the store-bought gnocchi: No need to boil. Just sear them until they are crisp and golden on the outside, and their insides will stay chewy. The resulting texture is reminiscent of fried dough. Shelf-stable and refrigerated gnocchi will both work here, but the shelf-stable ones do crisp up a bit better.
Because you don’t have to make your own crust, this gorgeous asparagus-striped tart is so easy it almost feels like cheating. But it’s not. It’s just simple yet stunning, effortlessly chic and company-ready. As there are so few ingredients in this recipe that each one makes an impact, be sure to buy a good all-butter brand of puff pastry. If you can manage to serve this tart warm, within an hour of baking, it will be at its absolute best, with crisp pastry that shatters into buttery bits when you bite down and still-runny cheese. But it’s also excellent a few hours later, should you want to get all your baking done before your guests arrive. If tarragon isn’t your favorite herb, you can use chives, basil or mint instead. And if you can manage to trim all the asparagus to the same length, this tart will be especially neat and orderly looking.
Brussels sprouts have started their glow up from being boiled and served whole while smelling like sulfur to now the only recipes you see seem to slice them in half to be roasted or sauteed, however my favorite new way, at least new to me, is to thinly slice them for salads.
This is a colorful variation of the black-eyed peas salad I always serve at my New Year’s Day open house. You can cook the black beans and red beans together or separately. The black-eyed peas cook more quickly so should be cooked separately.
A quick and easy recipe for Pan-Seared Cod in White Wine Tomato Basil Sauce! If you love cod fish recipes, try this flavorful dish for dinner tonight! So good with rice or zoodles!
A hearty vegetarian dinner-in-a-bowl, farro is dressed in a lemony tahini sauce spiked with garlic, and topped with charred broccoli florets, thin slices of turnip or radish, and a soft-yolked egg. To streamline the cooking process here, the eggs are simmered in the same pot as the farro. But if you want to substitute leftover grains for the farro (brown or white rice, for example), cook the egg separately using the same timing. Or leave off the egg altogether for a vegan variation. The flavors here are mellow enough for kids, but a squirt of chile sauce or a sliced green chile garnish adds a smack of grown-up heat.
This farro and broccoli stew is as hearty, cozy and full of green vegetables as you might expect, but you may be surprised to taste how effervescent it is. Bowls are piquant with white wine and a mix of garlic, capers and parsley, plus chile that’s used two ways: fried with farro to build the ground floor of the stew, and more to finish for bite. The broccoli is caramelized and sweet — so much more than plain boiled broccoli — and the farro adds bouncy chew. This stew is so lively, you don’t need cheese (but it wouldn’t hurt). Enjoy as a vegan main dish, perhaps with crusty bread for dunking, or as a side dish to roasted sausage or chicken or steamed clams or fish.
Inspired by a Chez Panisse recipe that uses fresh shell beans, this simple ragout is less precious but no less delicious. Sauté celery, zucchini and scallions with a glug of olive oil, then add canned beans and cook until warmed. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add the beans at the beginning of cooking so they break down as they’re stirred. Serve with grilled bread, pearl couscous or farro. Soft herbs like basil or parsley, tender greens like arugula or mâche, or pesto or salsa verde would all make for a lovely garnish.
Cheese loves cauliflower, and cauliflower loves cheese right back. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship, and we all win. Meal preppers like that it reheats well. Cauliflower fans will appreciate the ease of prep, and brassica haters will be won over by this roasted cauliflower recipe’s flavor boosters—hello, onion, garlic, black pepper, and thyme. It’s a side dish with natural charisma.
Swap the pasta for a low-carb alternative in this Pesto Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas recipe! This vegetarian dinner is high in fibre, protein and certainly not lacking on flavor!
Looking for a delicious plant-based meal that’s filling and satisfying? Look no further than these Roasted Cabbage Steaks with Chickpeas and Creamy Herb Sauce. You’ll wonder what took you so long to try roasted cabbage steaks and will quickly start pouring this creamy herb sauce on everything!
Looking at these yellow, oblong squash, you would never know that inside are hundreds of sweet noodle-like strands that resemble spaghetti. After roasting halved squash cut side down in a hot oven, we let the squash cool and then scraped out the strands with a fork. We tossed the cooked squash with a bright vinaigrette, halved grape tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano cheese.