Grilled lobster tails with a fresh nectarine-avocado salad, scallions, and lime. A summer dinner with sweet stone fruit, creamy avocado, and charred lobster meat in 30 minutes.
Smoked Cornish hens stuffed with wild rice and pecans, glazed with lime marmalade and orange juice. Includes charcoal, electric, and gas smoker instructions for 2-3 hours of low smoke.
A three-bean salad dressed in tangy molasses-mustard vinaigrette with celery, green onion, and torn curly endive. No-cook, make-ahead, and gets better the longer it marinates. Bring this to the cookout.
Sweet and sour pork stir fry with pineapple, cucumber, tomato, and red pepper in a fish sauce and vinegar glaze, finished with a light cornstarch coating. A 30-minute wok dinner.
Silky chicken and ham mousse blended with Madeira wine and whipped cream, set in a gelatin mold. An elegant make-ahead appetizer for cocktail parties and holiday entertaining.
Vegetarian Chinese boiled dumplings (shwei jow) with handmade wrappers and a tofu, mushroom, and lily bud filling. Served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Makes 24.
Texas-style Brazos turkey chili loaded with poblano, jalapeno, serrano, and chipotle peppers, simmered with Mexican beer and finished with grated dark chocolate. Bold, smoky, and layered with heat.
This is a good "guest" food. You can appear to have mastered esoteric Oriental cooking techniques without ever having actually prepared the dish before... Unless you drop the pot on the kitchen floor and set it on fire with the hot salt, it's a pretty foolproof cooking technique.
Finely chopped pork shoulder mixed with water chestnuts, dark soy, and sesame oil, topped with salty Tianjin preserved vegetable and steamed until tender. A traditional Cantonese home-style pork dish.
Scallops en papillote - bay scallops with asparagus, ginger, and lemon baked in parchment paper hearts. An elegant low-calorie dinner for two, ready in 1 hour.
A chilled rice salad tossed with shrimp, cucumber, radishes, and peas in a zingy ginger-sesame-horseradish dressing. Served on fresh spinach leaves, this no-cook sushi-inspired bowl comes together in 10 minutes flat.
Prawns Hunan style: flour-dusted shrimp flash-fried in peanut oil, then tossed with a ginger-garlic-chili paste and a reduced soy-chicken stock sauce. Bold, spicy, and fast.
Grilled marinated tofu with a Mediterranean chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives and parsley. Bright vegetarian main with Greek flavors.
Creamy chicken enchiladas filled with cream cheese, Monterey Jack, almonds, and green onions, baked in mild enchilada sauce and topped with avocado-sour cream. Enchiladas suizas in 30 minutes flat.
Quick and easy simple chicken recipe that is low in fat and tasty.
Shell-on shrimp marinated in lemon juice and peanut oil, grilled over hot coals, and served with a sweet soy-brown sugar dipping sauce. A hands-on, peel-and-eat barbecue shrimp that's all about summer.
Vegetarian curry with black-eyed peas, kidney beans, sautéed bananas, and apple in a spiced yogurt sauce. Served over rice with peanuts and cilantro.
Hot and spicy rice noodles with carrot, broccoli, cabbage, and ginger in a cayenne-honey-hoisin sauce. A low-fat Asian-style stir-fry on the table in 20 minutes.
Sai Grog: ground pork mixed with red curry paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, and fish sauce, grilled in natural casings. Authentic Thai spicy sausage in 40 minutes.
Chinese vegetarian eggplant and tofu stir-fry. Asian sweet and sour flavor.
Room temperature pasta primavera with green and white fettuccine, prosciutto, snow peas, and a raspberry vinegar dressing. Finished with Parmesan and citrus zest.
Lentil and cheddar veggie burgers packed with cooked lentils, spinach, carrots, and sharp cheddar. Bound with egg whites and breadcrumbs, no mystery ingredients. Pan-fried in olive oil and served on whole wheat buns. High-fiber, vegetarian, satisfying.
Turn leftover chicken and rice into golden, buttery fried rice in just 15 minutes. Scrambled eggs, sweet peas, and soy sauce transform weeknight scraps into a satisfying one-pan dinner.
Crispy baked chimichangas stuffed with spiced black beans, melted cheese, and fresh green onions. Skip the deep fryer for this healthier take on the classic Tex-Mex favorite.
Tender crepes filled with crab, mushrooms, and scallions in a white wine cream sauce, baked until heated through and broiled golden. French-inspired elegance in 45 minutes.
Thai-inspired tofu lemongrass soup with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and kaffir lime leaves. Light, fragrant, and ready in 35 minutes. A bright, warming bowl that's naturally vegan.
Twice-baked potatoes stuffed with cream cheese, butter, and green onion, mounded high and dusted with paprika. A classic steakhouse side done at home.
This salad is very easy to make, and combines the sour, sweet and salty flavors typical of Thai cuisine.
Crispy fried rice vermicelli (mee krob) tossed with tangy tamarind syrup, bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions. Classic Thai sweet, sour, salty noodle dish with shattering crunch.
Japanese gyoza pot stickers filled with ground beef, cabbage, mushrooms, ginger, and sesame oil. Pan-fried until crispy, then steam-finished. Served with a soy-chili sesame dipping sauce.
Cajun shrimp pasta with linguine tossed in a slow-simmered tomato sauce spiked with cayenne, thyme, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, finished with Parmesan.
Classic Turkish çoban salatası, the chopped 'shepherd's salad' of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, green pepper, and parsley dressed with lemon and olive oil. Bright, fresh, and built for summer.
Singapore spicy noodles with a chunky peanut butter sauce, red pepper flakes, and crunchy red cabbage tossed with linguine. A quick, low-calorie spicy peanut noodle dish.
Homemade wontons filled with ground pork, chopped shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, and crunchy water chestnuts, seasoned with oyster sauce and soy. Includes step-by-step folding instructions for beginners.
Chicken breast in tarragon cream sauce with mushrooms, green onions, white wine, and a touch of lemon. A French-inspired skillet dinner ready in 40 minutes.
Cheesy Ham, Walnut, and Vegetable Stromboli recipe
Caribbean jerk pork chops marinated overnight in allspice, cinnamon, thyme, scallions, and cayenne, then grilled hot until juicy and just-pink at the bone. Bold island flavor on a weeknight-friendly cut.
Traditional tabbouleh salad with fine bulgur wheat, fresh mint, parsley, lemon juice, and ripe tomatoes. A bright, herby Middle Eastern side dish served cold.
Sizzling Sichuan scallops wok-tossed with ginger, garlic, chili paste, and crunchy cucumber, then poured hot onto a screaming cast iron platter at the table. Pure drama.
Homemade moo goo gai pan with sliced chicken breast, mushrooms, and napa cabbage stir-fried in a garlic-soy sauce. Better than takeout in 30 minutes.
Chinese halibut grills thick steaks marinated in fresh ginger, scallion, light and dark soy, rice wine and toasted sesame oil. Charcoal-grilled in under 15 minutes for clean, smoky-savory weeknight fish.
Thai chicken salad with dried California figs, cantaloupe, cucumber, and fresh mint in a lime-honey-ginger dressing. A low-fat main dish salad with sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors.
Pea purée can serve as a garnish, a side dish, or as a spread on crackers or vegetable sticks. Use it as a bed upon which the main item in your entrée can rest. For example, sauté some scallops and place them on a pool of the pea purée.
Casserole de Santa Fe layers spiced cornmeal cornbread batter with pinto beans, tomato sauce, and cheese for a hearty vegetarian Southwestern bake. Cumin and chili powder built in.
Juicy chicken breasts stuffed with smoky Gouda, pimientos, and scallions, then pan-seared and baked. This easy stuffed chicken recipe delivers restaurant-quality results in 40 minutes.
Diet tortillas rancheros load warm flour tortillas with a fresh lime-spiked tomato salsa, black beans, shredded lettuce, and crunchy peanuts. A 35-minute light Mexican-style open-face wrap.
Grilled tofu skewers marinated in lemongrass, tamarind, mint, and ginger with mushrooms, snow peas, and tomatoes. Vegetarian brochettes packed with Pacific Rim flavors.