Quick
Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps
Wrapping the stir-fried chicken in lettuce keeps this dish lower in calories and carbohydrates than it would be if served with tortillas. You could omit the lettuce and serve the chicken over rice, if desired.
Broccoli, Chickpea, and Tomato Salad
This simply dressed assortment of wholesome vegetables and legumes is full of bright color, texture, and flavor. Serve it as a starter or side at dinner, and save any leftovers for lunch the next day.
Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad
Try this slightly spicy salad with roast pork or chicken. Shredding the vegetables in a food processor makes the preparation lightning fast; you can shred them on a four-sided box grater instead, but it will increase the prep and total times.
Apple, Endive, and Grape Salad
Large, with a firm, sweet flesh, Fujis are good for snacking, cooking, and mixing into salads like this one. Unlike many other apples, their taste actually improves with age.
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Oats lend an interesting texture to this soup, but because they are added in such a small quantity and are puréed with the rest of the ingredients, they’re impossible to detect.
Coconut Shrimp Soup
With fresh ginger, garlic, and lime, this Thai-style soup imparts lovely fragrance and warmth on a cool autumn evening. Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you want the soup to be.
Cantaloupe with Honey and Lime
Not only is this one of the simplest desserts to prepare—it’s also low in calories and virtually fat-free. Because it is so light and refreshing, it’s a perfect ending to a heavy meal.
Grilled Peaches with Sweetened Sour Cream
You may not have thought of cooking peaches before, but they are delicious hot off the grill and topped with dollops of sweetened sour cream and crumbled cookies.
Corn Salad
Since the corn is not cooked for the salad, it’s important to use the freshest you can find, preferably from a roadside stand or farmers’ market. Serve the fritters warm, topped with dollops of cool sour cream.
Rigatoni with Goat Cheese
Customize this toss-and-serve pasta dish by adding any— or all—of the suggested toppings.
Grilled Tomato Linguine
For a delicious appetizer, serve the grilled tomatoes atop toasted pieces of Italian bread. Or use them in a grilled sandwich with fresh mozzarella and basil.
Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas
This is one of the quickest and most satisfying pasta recipes you can make. Prosciutto is easier to slice when it’s cold; stack slices, and cut crosswise with a sharp knife.
Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans
The combination of pesto, potatoes, and green beans originates in Liguria, a region of Italy. It’s best made at the height of summer, when fresh basil is readily available, but you can make it any time of year with store-bought pesto.