Tomato

When it’s time to put logs in the fireplace, it’s also time to fire up a big pot of this chili, flavored with lots of cumin and brightened with lemon juice.

Enjoy a combination of nutritious vegetables and a whole grain all in one easy side dish. It goes equally well with Broiled Sirloin with Chile-Roasted Onions (page 176), Herb Chicken with Panko-Pecan Crust (page 148), or Wine-Poached Salmon (page 109).

Want a tasty new way to get vegetables into your diet? Try this eggplant and tomato side dish, which gets a flavor burst from chili powder and fresh cilantro.

The vibrant color contrast between the greens and the tomatoes adds eye appeal to this tasty dish.

Fresh lemon juice, capers, basil, and olive oil provide your palate with a taste from the Greek Isles.

Roasting veggies over high heat retains those delightful concentrated flavors.

Make a batch of this wonderful sauce ahead of time for the best blending of flavors. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or pour it into a freezer container and freeze it for up to six months.

Spice up lean grilled hamburgers, chicken breasts, or pork tenderloin with this wonderful salsa, which gets its smoky flavor from the chipotle chile. Regulate the heat from mild to spicy by the amount of chipotle you add.

Add some zing to your food, but without the sodium usually found in bottled chili sauce. Drizzle this chili sauce on Spicy Baked Fish (page 103) or use it to make shrimp cocktail.

Couscous, a quick-cooking Moroccan staple, gets a Mediterranean makeover with fresh lemon juice, oregano, mint, and feta.

A sprinkling of crumbled feta tops this very tasty mix of fresh spinach, sweet grape tomatoes, artichokes, and basil.

Making this soup with roast beef you’ve saved from another meal (maybe Easy Roast Beef, page 170) cuts down on both prep time and cooking time. Even people who think they don’t like leftovers will enjoy this soup, which gets lots of flavor from fresh produce.

Here’s a good way to use up some of that leftover holiday turkey!

Enjoy a bowl of this soup for a light lunch, or pair it with a dark green or spinach salad or Balsamic-Marinated Vegetables (page 78) for a heartier meal.

When the dog days of summer arrive, turn to this no-cook chilled soup. It is low in sodium and calories, contains no fat, and is quite refreshing.

Just a few minutes of standing time brings out the delectable flavor of the fresh basil in this easy-to-prepare soup.

Pair this smooth, cumin-rich soup with unsalted baked corn tortilla strips and a deep green salad for a simple, hearty meal.

For a flavor change, replace beef or chicken broth with this tasty, so-easy-to-make broth. If you have extra broth, see the Cook’s Tip on Freezing Broth (page 51).

Caponata is a classic appetizer spread that has the sweet and sour balanced components of many Mediterranean dishes. Here, the eggplant, red pepper, and onions are cooked in the wood-fired oven before being combined with salty capers and toasted pine nuts. It can be added to a pasta salad or used as the filling in an omelet or frittata.