30 Minutes or Less

Can your local deli counter inspire a cool Vietnamese-style meal? Definitely. Here, roast beef, already cooked to medium-rare (perfection, in our opinion), is a main player.

Homemade Thousand Island dressing, a timeless crowd-pleaser, is tossed with coleslaw for a quick and crunchy no-cook take on chicken salad.

One of the things we love about pesto is its versatility: Peas can take on basil's traditional role without missing a beat.

This no-cook soup defeats the summer heat — cucumber provides crunch alongside a hint of minutest, and avocado adds mouthwatering creaminutesess.

Pouring a citrusy vinaigrette over hot grilled pork chops enhances their flavor and balances their richness. The chops go extremely well with the black-bean and tomato quinoa

Tossing the potatoes first with salt and vinegar and then with bacon fat while they're still warm allows the flavors to really penetrate. Chopped chives add a delicate oniony scent.

Whether assertive farmers-market mesclun or a delicate supermarket mix, these greens require little more than a light lemony vinaigrette — and one that can be made quickly embraces the simplicity of the leaves.

These slender, snack-sized sandwiches, with rich rare beef, creamy avocado, lemon, and chives, will get appetites going, especially out in the fresh air.

This thick, cheesy dip is delicious with broccoli spears or bread sticks, or even as a spread on slices of bread. Serve any leftovers on baked potatoes or tossed with potato salad.

We tried making this oil with Sichuan peppercorns that were not ground but found eating them whole just too numbing. Like the red-chile oil above, it's the perfect thing for adding a final blitz of flavor.

We like to make up a batch of this oil and keep it on hand for seasoning Asian dishes just before serving.

On a recent visit to London, Knauer overheard a local in a pub ordering a "Guinness and Black" — which turned out to be the famous Irish stout plus a shot of blackberry brandy. That combination is also the genius behind these floats; the brandy's luscious fruitiness bridges the gap between the sweet ice cream and bitter beer.

Who doesn't love toasted cheese? Here it adds tang to a Mediterranean-inspired salad of frisée, broiled bell peppers, and shiitake mushrooms.

It's no surprise that American cooks have adopted Asian peanut sauce as their own. The tantalizing balance of creaminess and heat has universal appeal.