Leafy Greens

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Called tzatziki in Greece, this yogurt sauce can also be used on a baked potato as a nonfat alternative to sour cream. To prevent the pita bread in this recipe from getting soggy, place the trimmed portion of the bread down into the pocket to act as a sponge for the lamb drippings and yogurt.

These get a lift from allspice, too.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Though detested on lawns, dandelions are now cultivated commercially and are widely available at farmers markets and supermarkets. Great additions to this salad are red onion and shaved Parmesan.

Here's a terrific salad with the bold tastes of cilantro and cumin. Cold beer is the ideal beverage go-with.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Editors' note: The original recipe calls for Chinese wheat noodles, but we also like this soup made with somen (Japanese thin wheat noodles) or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles).

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 15 min.

Cold steak from last weekend's cookout would taste great sliced and laid over this salad.

It used to be that beets were sent to the market without the greens, which had been discarded. Now both are sold, often separately. Your best bet is to buy beets that have the greens intact; that way, you can partner this unique sweet and savory pasta with the perfect side dish: roasted fresh beets.