Root Vegetable

Orecchiette are small ear-shaped pasta shells; fusilli or farfalle can be used instead. You can also replace the arugula with two cups whole fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves.

Because these crispy bean cakes are broiled rather than fried, the recipe doesn’t call for much oil, so the cakes contain less fat; they are also easier to prepare than fried versions.

Rather than eliminating yolks altogether, we used fewer—to reduce fat and to avoid the rubbery texture that can be obtained by using only egg whites.

This main course needs no accompaniment other than a tossed green salad. Try the Mixed Green Salad with Citrus Dressing on page 54.

Here’s a tried-and-true winter roast, with a straightforward (and quick) preparation and a side of potatoes. You need only green beans to create a complete meal, but if you want to add another side dish, try the Swiss chard on page 249.

A generous amount of carrots adds a sweet earthy taste to these chicken breasts. Using prunes lends additional rich flavor, and is a variation of popular Mediterranean dishes that combine poultry or meat with dried fruit.

Curries can be quite mild or extremely spicy. It all depends on the type of curry powder that is used to make them—and how much is added. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your own taste.

In this dish, the garlic tops serve as a roasting rack for the chicken. The garlic bottoms are then flipped halfway through the cooking time, to soak up the juices. Serve with toasted slices of French bread, if desired.

The combination of fennel, citrus, and parsley makes this Italian-style salad an ideal palate cleanser. It tastes particularly refreshing in winter, when salad greens are often scarce.

This sweet and spicy soup is wonderfully rich, even though it’s made without a drop of cream. If your carrots don’t taste sweet enough, add up to a teaspoon of sugar in step two.

When buying parsnips, choose those that are smooth, firm, and about 8 inches long, roughly the size of a large carrot. They should not be soft, spotted, or damp.

The three main ingredients in this recipe—pecans, cornmeal, and catfish—are all common in Southern cooking. The carrot slaw served on the side is lighter in fat and calories than more traditional mayonnaise-based slaws.

Serving a sandwich for dinner can make even the busiest day feel less complicated. Start with a mixed-green salad, and try Parmesan Steak Fries (page 83) on the side.

Using canned beets keeps the prep time to a minimum, but you can substitute roasted beets if you wish (see note below).

Try this slightly spicy salad with roast pork or chicken. Shredding the vegetables in a food processor makes the preparation lightning fast; you can shred them on a four-sided box grater instead, but it will increase the prep and total times.