Cilantro

Shredded iceberg lettuce topped with ranch dressing is the perfect side dish. End with scoops of lime sorbet drizzled with tequila and sprinkled with lime peel. Canned chipotle chilies are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores, and some supermarkets.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

"I'm only satisfied if my food looks as good as it tastes," writes Mikal Altomare of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "So when I set out to make something new, I combined carrots with cilantro, curry and apricot preserves for a side dish that is fresh, colorful, sweet and spicy."

For best results, make this stuffing with day-old Buttermilk Corn Bread.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Crispy Pork with Avocado Salsa and Tomato Salsa .

Serve this zesty salad alongside grilled chili-rubbed chicken or steak, or grilled fish tacos.

Flat iron steak is a tender cut from the chuck top blade roast. If flat iron steak is unavailable, use flank steak.

Refried beans are typically made from pinto beans, but black beans work well, too. Add a dab of sour cream if you crave a little richness.

Matt McMillan, Big Bowl's executive chef, threw together these items for his lunch one day. We ran it as a special the next week. It's simple and delicious.

Serve with: Warm corn tortillas, Spanish rice, and grilled zucchini. Dessert: Fresh coconut cake from the bakery.

Chermoula Chermoula is a traditional North African marinade for fish, especially in Morocco where, surprisingly, it's often used with shad. It has become very popular recently with North American restaurant chefs as a quick and easy (and cheap!) way to add lots of flavor to bland fish. Many old-fashioned recipes don't call for cilantro and parsley at all, but the fresh flavor of the green herbs adds a great deal to the preparation. Instead of shad, which is hard to find even when it's in season, and very difficult to bone, I use salmon steaks or fillets. You could substitute many other kinds of fish, including swordfish, halibut, haddock, and even fresh-water fish, such as catfish and perch.