serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • quinoa
  • shredded carrot
  • sliced fennel
  • crumbled feta cheese
  • red wine vinegar
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • chopped flat-leaf parsley

This thick meal brims with vegetables. The tang comes from a spoonful of vinegar that is tossed with toasted bread and added to the soup at the end of cooking."
Advance preparation: You can make this through step 4 up to a day ahead of serving. You might want to hold off adding the chard until you reheat if you want it to have a nice color. Bring the soup to a simmer, add the chard and simmer 10 minutes, then proceed with step 5.

serves 8
You might need to buy:
  • sweet paprika
  • olive oil
  • sherry vinegar
  • 1/2-inch thick slices baguette
  • shredded cabbage
  • finely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
  • saffron threads

“Simpler than a minestrone, yet satisfying in the same way, I’m always struck by the depth of flavor in this soup. It’s slightly acidic, and you can really taste the celery.”
Advance preparation: You can make this up to a day ahead, but the rice will continue to soften and absorb liquid. If you do make it ahead, add the rice when you reheat the soup, and then simmer until it’s cooked.

serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • sugar
  • water
  • tomato paste
  • dried oregano
  • chopped fresh parsley
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

“I like this simple, high-protein combination with an uncooked tomato sauce, but it also can be made with a more traditional cooked sauce. Substitute cooked tomato sauce for the first six ingredients below, then stir in the chickpeas before tossing with the pasta.”

You might need to buy:
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • slivered or chopped fresh basil
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • fusille or farfalle

“If you like hummus, you like chickpeas. They’re a versatile legume, welcome in salads and soups, stews and pastas. This pretty summer salad is quickly assembled. You can also make it in winter without the tomatoes.”
Advance preparation: The salad can be assembled several hours before you wish to serve it. Keep in the refrigerator. Leftovers are good the next day.

serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  • make the dressing:
  • fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt

You can finish this hearty summer soup with slivered fresh basil or with pistou, the Provençal version of pesto. (It’s pesto without the pine nuts.) A Parmesan rind, simmered in the soup and then removed, provides great depth of flavor without additional fat. On a hot summer day in Italy, the soup might be served at room temperature or just barely warm.
Advance preparation: The soup can be made through step 2 a day or two ahead. It improves overnight. If you’re making the soup ahead, cook the pasta separately and add to the soup, along with the green beans on the day you are serving it.

serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • olive oil
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Freshly grated Parmesan for garnish

“Pisto is Spain’s ratatouille, a savory mixture of summer squash, onions, garlic and tomatoes usually cooked down until the squash falls apart. This very traditional dish might also include chorizo and peppers. You can serve it as a side dish without the eggs, but with them it makes a great supper.”
Note: When you seed the tomatoes, set a strainer over a bowl. Squeeze the seeds into the strainer, then press the pulp and juice through the strainer into the bowl. Discard the seeds and use the juice as described below.
Advance preparation: The pisto will be delicious for three or four days, but until you reheat it, don’t cook the eggs. To reheat the pisto, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the cooked pisto to a lightly oiled baking dish. Make six depressions in the top, and break an egg into each one. Salt and pepper lightly, and bake in the oven six to eight minutes or until the eggs set.

serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • olive oil
  • sugar
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • eggs

“This is a quick, simple marinara sauce that will only be good if your tomatoes are ripe. If you have a food mill, you don’t have to peel and seed the tomatoes; you can just quarter them and put the sauce through the mill.”
Serve with Zucchini Pasta: http://www.recipething.com/recipes/show/15940

You might need to buy:
  • sugar
  • Salt
  • slivered fresh basil
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground pepper
Belongs to ladydusk Tamale Pie 
ready in about an hour and 10 minutes; serves 8
You might need to buy:
  • salt
  • pepper
  • yellow cornmeal
  • Crust
  • minced jalapenos
  • Salt & Pepper
  • canned tomatoes
  • corn
  • Shredded Monterey Jack
  • Ground dark-meat turkey
  • Olive Oil
  • butter