Raw

This recipe is an accompaniment for Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Ginger Mignonnette .

This recipe is an accompaniment for Yellow Tomato Gazpacho with Cilantro Oil and Avocado.

A colorful salad that is refreshing alongside the lamb chops. Green or red bell peppers can be added to the salad, if you like.

Doña Tomasa and other Oaxacans often thin their guacamole with water to make a dipping sauce. Sometimes a little cream or milk is added as well.

This aristocrat of the salad family is usually considered to belong properly to dinner, accompanying the main entrèe, or even better, as a separate course to refresh the palate. But why not, on a hot summer day, feature the big bowl of cool greens for itself? The accompaniment can be hearty - cheese muffins or sandwiches - but let the salad have the center of the stage.

Chopped cilantro in the dressing and whole leaves mixed with the spinach add a double dose of cilantro flavor to this salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A few years ago, when I was in southeastern Turkey working on my book Mediterranean Grains and Greens, I noticed that the women didn't soak their bulgur in water for some summer preparations. When I asked a Turkish friend about this, she let out a laugh. "In Turkey, no man would marry a woman who just used water! For cold bulgur dishes we always soak in tomato juice, onion juice, or fresh pressed and strained sour grape juice to flavor the bulgur first."

This recipe originally accompanied Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

A side dish for grilled chicken, steak or fish.

The miso dressing — which has the body of an egg yolk dressing without all the fat — lends depth of flavor to sweet persimmon and creamy avocado.

Fresh mint makes this starter all the more cooling. Use Haas avocados for the creamiest texture. What to drink: Throughout the meal, go with the classics — beer and Margaritas.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.