Side

For a summer luncheon or a light supper, there’s nothing better than this lovely salad dressed with lemon and tarragon.

The warmth of this salad brings out the best flavors of the ingredients: mellow lentils, sharp escarole, aromatic fennel, and rich, crunchy walnuts. (See photo)

This bread salad makes a perfect summer meal with its ripe juicy tomatoes, basil, olives, and fresh mozzarella all tossed with crusty bread to soak up every drop of the juice!

A beautiful-looking meal with a multitude of colors, flavors, and textures just right for hot weather and as a festive cold-weather treat as well.

Make a double batch because you’re sure to want leftovers—this makes a great lunch the next day.

Any rice is fine for this dish, but Lemongrass Rice (page 181) makes it particularly flavorful. We especially like this technique for cooking eggs for fried rice.

This elegant herbed couscous is a lemon lover’s delight. We like it best made with all of the herbs. The flavor develops beautifully overnight in the refrigerator.

Quinoa is an ancient high-protein grain from Peru that has made its way into North American cooking. Here we combine it with vegetables and herbs for a quick and well-rounded meal. Cooking quinoa in broth makes a big difference in flavor.

In the Caribbean, red beans and rice are cooked together, but at Moosewood we like to ladle saucy red beans over a bed of fragrant coconut rice and garnish with a little greenery.

Black beans and rice with an interesting twist: fuchsia-colored pickled red onions. Make extra! They’re a flavorful condiment for sandwiches, soups, and salads, and they keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

This creamy, cold-weather casserole with a golden, crunchy topping can be assembled ahead and baked when you’re ready.

This sauté makes an attractive and satisfying supper; chilled, it makes a delicious side dish or salad. (See photo)

What a versatile dish! You can use almost any kind of cheese (or go vegan—see our suggestions below), and you can add leftover vegetables to the filling. Stuff the tomatoes one day and bake them the next—they’re just as tasty!

The beauty of this recipe is that the oven does the work while you leisurely prepare a salad and set the table.

For a nice balance of color and flavor, use white potatoes and sweet potatoes in roughly equal amounts.