Cilantro

Fish from the Mediterranean waters is put to a variety of uses in Tunisian cuisine, and a simple soup such as this one of the most common. It's flavored with an appealing blend of herbs, spices and citrus.

Enfrijoladas Enchiladas, entomatadas, and enfrijoladas are all different preparations that take a corn tortilla and bathe it in a sauce of chiles, tomatoes, thick cream, or — as they prefer in Oaxaca — long-simmered black beans. While it is traditional to fold them into quarters or thirds, you can also fold them over once. Wait to season the beans with salt until they are just soft.

Steamed jasmine rice is all that's needed to turn this into a meal.

Serve with jicama sticks, radish slices, peeled cooked shrimp, and corn tortilla chips.

LaVerl Daily, director of Le Panier cooking school in Houston, suggests supplementing this slightly tropical entrée with rice, black beans and buttered green beans sprinkled with chopped macadamia nuts. Finish with sweet potato pie or coconut cream pie.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For this recipe you may use whatever mushrooms you happen to have on hand. Serve the dish as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted meats, seafood, or chicken or with soup as a light lunch or dinner.

This main-course soup is called pho in Vietnam, where it is eaten at any time of day.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 40 min

Use leftover chicken if you have any on hand, or start with a rotisserie chicken. Be sure to pick up the sliced peppers from the salad bar while you're at the market. Crunchy sesame breadsticks are all you need to complete the meal — except, of course, dessert, which could be pineapple slices sprinkled with coconut and broiled.

Vellarikkai Thakkali Vengaya Pachadi Pachadi is the southern version of North Indian raita. You can substitute plain low-fat yogurt for the whole-milk yogurt here, but drain it in a sieve overnight first.

This dish is a wonderful combination of French and Indian flavors. Basmati rice and a green salad would round out the meal.

The signature dish at Américas in Houston. Achiote paste adds earthy flavor and deep red color to the shrimp.

Gulisa's Ajika This lively condiment goes nicely with grilled meats and fish as well as with pork stew.