Grape Tomato

It truly doesn’t get any easier than this one-pot sensation.

Smoked mozzarella flavors these chops from the inside; an easy cherry tomato pan sauce and creamy polenta round things out.

The best thing about making ranch from scratch? If you like a more garlicky or more herby ranch, the choice is yours to adjust the recipe accordingly.

Sweet bell pepper & roasted chicken ravioli is complemented nicely with a sauce made with yellow tomatoes, garlic, Parmesan cheese and basil. An upscale taste that is still quick and easy.

Purslane has long been considered a weed, but it is increasingly showing up for sale in bunches at farmers markets. Meanwhile, Mexicans have known about its healthful properties for hundreds of years and they eat it both raw and cooked. In Mexico it's called verdolagas. Cooking mellows its tang and shrinks it, which means you can eat more of it! Paired with avocado and a tomato relish, this is a super-healthy vegetarian snack or main dish.

Serve up a Tex-Mex favorite tonight! With this easy-to-make recipe, lean chicken breasts are enlivened with the flavors of Southwest corn seasoned with poblano and red peppers.

When Jade says, "Make me my breakfast sandwich," we know she means this recipe. This is an all-in-one, colorful, hearty wrap that's perfect for making your own. Customize this according to what's in your fridge, swapping spinach for the kale or jarred red bell peppers for the tomatoes. And if you don't have time to poach the eggs, just scramble them instead.

This is an early signature dish of my colleague Jonathan Waxman, who has been at the center of the contemporary American food scene since the early 1970s, when he worked at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and at Michael's in Los Angeles. Waxman now presides over Barbuto—he's "the bearded one"—in the far west Greenwich Village, where all- American inclinations meet simple Italian cooking, frequently in the wood- burning oven. Jonathan's cooking has always been defined by its clarity; there are times when I wonder how he has managed to make something as simple as a roasted chicken or a plate of beets seem so special. Top-quality ingredients in season and vigilant preparations are the answers—what I strive for in my own cooking. This dish is a classic example of the early wave of what was known as the New American Cooking—a movement, if not a revolution, now forty years old and counting. It also demonstrates that a new, even trendy, dish can endure and become a classic—if it has integrity. Nevertheless, you can improvise here. Change the herbs according to what you've got, and the oils for the dressing.

It's low-cal and filling—as in perfect for swimsuit season. I make it a day ahead so the veggies can marinate and the flavor pops.

Even your dude will love this skinny pie. (He can bring the beer.)

Grilled nectarines add an unexpected sweetness to this summer dish. The smoky, buttery scallops and caramelized fruit give farmers’ market corn and tomatoes a new way to shine. And it gets a kick from piment d’Espelette, a French hot red chile ground into a powder, and available at specialty foods stores; but chili powder is a fine alternative.

Delicately flavored sole is a dieter's BFF, with only 73 calories per 3-ounce fillet.

This classic Mexican sauce is often used in enchiladas or served with tamales.

If you don’t have a mixer, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.

Make the chile-lime marinade the day before, and let the pork marinate overnight before cooking.

This steak fits right into your schedule—it can marinate for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 8 hours—and it is equally good whether cooked on the stovetop, grilled, or broiled. Rice and Vegetable Pilaf (page 252) goes well with it.

A sprinkling of crumbled feta tops this very tasty mix of fresh spinach, sweet grape tomatoes, artichokes, and basil.

One of the most fun things about traveling is finding food inspiration and ideas. I’m most drawn to simple preparations with creative twists. In Israel, I loved the myriad varieties of salads, which are served morning, noon, and night. I could spend a month in Israel just studying the salads. On a recent trip, my family’s last lunch before heading to the airport was at a lovely little café in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. One of the dishes we enjoyed was a mixture of sweet and white potatoes on a bed of greens. Nothing fancy, but it looked great and tasted even better. Once home, I made my copycat version of the salad, with two additions: a diced avocado mixed into the greens, and a topping of pumpkin seeds. It may look fancy, but it’s very easy to make. The pleasing presentation makes it a good salad to impress company, as well as to bring to potlucks.

Here is a salad I enjoyed on my first trip to Paris. It was part of a fantastic, produce-filled lunch in a private residence in Montmartre, overlooking much of the city. The key to this simple salad is to use the best possible ingredients—specially the green beans. Serve as a first course with slices of crusty, whole-grain baguette or Italian bread.

Here’s a nearly standard tabouleh recipe with a couple of interesting twists. Quinoa makes it fluffier and lighter than the traditional bulgur (not to mention even more nutritious), and pine nuts give it a rich flavor.