Yogurt

The traditional apple, walnut and chopped celery salad is updated with a yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise citrus dressing, pine nuts and Cajun seasoning.

We highly recommend using California apricots for this recipe —their intense flavor and color give this frozen yogurt a real boost that's missing when it's made with the Turkish variety.

This is one of the never-absent standard-bearers of the Greek meze table, a classic dish found from one corner of the country to the other, on almost every taverna and meze menu.

Not only is the yogurt marinade an excellent tenderizer, but it imparts a nice, mild tang as well. Begin marinating the chicken one day in advance.

Tangy and refreshing, this dip is called tzatziki in Greek. Here, it's served with crisp baked pita wedges, but it also goes well with crudités. Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip. And mix up a big batch of lemonade to pour throughout the picnic.

(Ghotab) After trying several kinds, we concluded that Iranian and Turkish pistachios* have the best flavor. Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 4 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This pretty and refreshing soup - flavored with curry, cumin, ginger and garlic-is quick to prepare: Just put everything in the blender and puree it.

A low-fat version of the Mexican soup.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min