Weeknight Meals

A super-quick take on aioli, this garlicky sauce keeps the fish incredibly moist.

The French version of pesto, pistou is often stirred into soupe au pistou, Provence's vegetable and bean soup. In this dish, the vegetable soup ingredients and pistou are blended together into a flavorful puree that's topped with shrimp. To serve as a main course, add a side of orzo tossed with good-quality olive oil, salt, plenty of pepper, and some grated Asiago cheese.

Few ingredients, big payoff: Large "steaks" are cut from a head of cauliflower, sautéed until golden, then baked until tender. They're served over a simple purée made from the cauliflower florets. An impressive first course, this can also be a lovely side. Just sear two mahi-mahi fillets in butter and place them alongside the cauliflower.

A dish to convert all the Brussels sprout haters. By cooking the sprouts only briefly, you preserve their great nutty flavor. This side pairs nicely with roasted rack of lamb or whole chicken. For a Middle Eastern-flavored meal, rub either meat with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper before cooking.

Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes) are neither artichokes nor from Jerusalem, but rather the tuber of a variety of sunflower native to America. The knobby, gnarly vegetable is often overlooked, but its sweet, nutty flavor makes it worth seeking out.

Any variety of kale will work in this recipe. If available, try ruffled Red Russian kale, Tuscan kale, or Salad Savoy.

When shopping for a chicken, look for the organic seal. An organic chicken will be juicier than one that's conventionally raised. In this recipe, the chicken is butterflied for quicker cooking.

Look for squash that are heavy for their size.

You don't often see turnips served raw, but they're crisp, sweet, and surprisingly tasty. At the market, look for small fennel bulbs and small turnips. They'll be tender and have a mild flavor.

Grinding dried porcini mushrooms in a spice mill creates a deeply flavorful coating for the steaks.

Serve with warm flatbread or pita bread.

Serve this classic and satisfying stir-fry over brown rice.

The tangy-sweet vinaigrette brings out broccoli's deep flavor in the best way.

Grains and nuts are great at balancing the bitterness of broccoli rabe.

The chicken calls for oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, and this dip cleverly makes use of some of that oil.