Weeknight Meals

Look for sweet and flavorful pomegranate molasses at specialty foods stores and Middle Eastern markets.

The slight bitterness of the greens cuts through the richness of the meat and potatoes in this menu. Feel free to use any variety of kale (or a mix of varieties) in this dish. Green, red, or Tuscan kale (sometimes called lacinato or dinosaur kale) would all be delicious. 3 pounds kale (about 4 large bunches), thick bottom stems and center stems cut away and discarded

A squeeze of lime unites all the flavors of these new-wave quesadillas.

Summer's bounty gets even better when it's combined in a fresh-tasting pasta.

No, its not the title of a lost Dr. Seuss opus, but a perfectly grown-up dish in which the richness of grilled spice-rubbed lamb chops is cut by lemon (both zest and flesh). Chances are you'll want to eat it anywhere.

Cool to the eye as well as on the palate, this gazpacho-like starter gets its body and buttery undertones from cashews. Yes, the Cubanelle pepper was initially chosen for its starting letter, but its mild sweetness and juicy crunch clinched the decision.

Figs combine beautifully with all sorts of salty flavors—prosciutto, for instance, or Gorgonzola, or, of course, bacon. They also add succulent, sumptuous texture.

Spontaneity is the key to this pasta salad; it's not something you can make ahead and chill. The main ingredients can be harvested from a backyard plot or balcony pot, or simply be a reward for your produce-shopping prowess at the farmers market.

Steaming unlocks the succulence of okra. Here, the pods are tossed with slivered ginger and a Vietnamese-inspired scallion oil in an all-purpose dish that's great with grilled steak or chicken, or with nothing more than a fragrant bowlful of jasmine rice.

Celebrate the last of the hot weather with a spirited, chunky gazpacho in the Mexican mode. Tomatoes give the soup their characteristic rich, rounded flavor, and tomatillos—an Aztec and Mayan staple—lend fruity tartness and great body.

BLT, hold the bread (you won't miss it). Big chunks of sun-ripened tomato and soft leaves of butterhead lettuce—Boston or Bibb, for instance—are topped with a creamy blue cheese dressing (fine-tuned with a wizardly touch of bacon fat) and plenty of crisp homemade bacon bits. It is a familiar yet striking kickoff to a bucolic meal seriously focused on produce.

This textural celebration of legumes includes those that are both in and out of pods. You'll find crisp-tender Romano beans and green beans, as well as droves of firm yet creamy fava beans (also called broad beans), which have been a staple in places like Egypt, China, and the Mediterranean for millennia. The beans are all cooked in one pot and then warmed in a skillet, where verdant shreds of basil join them at the last minute for extra oomph. Sound easy? That's because it is.

Mint gives sprightliness to robust mackerel and mushrooms in a quick escabeche that manages to be both substantial and refreshing.

It's amazing how a splash of citrus and a handful of pistachios can transform a pair of humble brassicas—kale and kohlrabi both belong to that genus—into a bright, fresh, and lively dish. Although this recipe represents the letter k, it could just as easily have been g, for green. Or great.

Watermelon and yogurt may sound like unlikely bedfellows, but this refreshing dish deliciously disproves that assumption. Flaky shards of sea salt, added just before serving, highlight both the melon's sweetness and the sauce's savory tang.

Heaps of leafy cilantro and the crumbly Mexican white cheese known as queso fresco update a classic side dish. Cornstarch thickens the cream quickly and imparts a velvety gloss.

Cutting cauliflower into thick, meaty slices, core and all, is a neat trick. So is roasting it, which brings out the best in this vegetable, caramelizing its edges and playing up its nuttiness. A briny olive vinaigrette adds just the right sharp-savory note.