Weeknight Meals

The secret to this healthy dish's deceptively rich taste? Cheeses that are loaded with flavor but light on fat. Chef Gonzalo Mendoza further reduces the fat content by lining the pan with thinly sliced potatoes instead of piecrust (which typically contains a lot of butter or lard) for a big fat-calorie savings. The spinach, tomatoes, and onion add nearly 8 grams of fiber to every hearty slice.

Green olive bruschetta spread can be found near jarred olives and pasta sauces, or in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. It usually contains chopped olives, oil, sun-dried tomatoes, and herbs.

Be sure to buy the salmon with the skin on, which makes it much easier to handle as it grills. Keep in mind this is a special cut that your fish market or supermarket seafood counter may have to order. What to drink: Tom Douglas likes to pair this with a Washington State Chardonnay. Try: Columbia Crest 2002 Grand Estates Chardonnay ($11).

Tony Matranga of Los Angeles, California, writes: "When I started cooking, the process was a mystery to me. I would try to re-create other people's dishes but couldn't get them quite right. After working in an Italian bakery and several restaurants, and observing chefs, I began piecing together recipes and finally came up with some great results of my own."

The first time my Nantucket Island friends Nigel Dyche and Sarah Chase made this for me, I was incredulous at how fabulous it was, yet so simple. The fish tastes of the sea and the smoke from the grill with no extraneous flavors to mask the ocean-fresh steaks. The mayonnaise coats the thick pieces of fish, keeping them moist inside and promoting a golden caramelized color on the outside. Nantucket Islanders use this recipe mostly for swordfish, and it is one of their favorite summer meals, especially when paired with thick slices of ruby-red garden tomatoes.

We prefer Nova salmon for this particular recipe because it's the mildest and least salty. Although Nova has become a general term for smoked salmon, it really describes the delicacy made from fish descended from wild Nova Scotia salmon.

Annuska Angulo Rivero of Mexico City, Mexico, writes: "This recipe was originally for besugo, a fish popular in Bilbao but not easily found in Mexico. I use red snapper instead. Be sure to eat this with lots of good bread to mop up the sauce. Using a fruity olive oil makes this dish incredibly flavorful.

If you get a package containing two tenderloins of uneven size, you may have to cook the larger one a little longer than the smaller one. Prepare all the sauce ingredients before grilling the pork, then cook it while the pork stands.

We tested this recipe using a charcoal grill and a gas grill and found that grilling the dough over charcoal required both direct and indirect heat, a process too involved for Quick Kitchen. We prefer supermarket mozzarella rather than fresh for this pizza because fresh mozzarella exudes too much liquid when cooked. If your pizza dough is frozen, allow 2 to 3 hours to let it thaw.

"What really makes this Korean- inspired dish delightful is the contrast between the crisp vegetables and the soft, chewy sweet potato noodles," says Mai Pham. Look for the noodles at Asian markets; cellophane noodles (sold in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets) also work here. For best results, choose a thicker noodle, about the size of spaghettini. Serve this dish at room temperature as a side or main.

Chimichurri is an Argentine parsley sauce with bright flavors and a kick from crushed red pepper. To save time: Prepare the fresh parsley and cilantro for the processor by simply cutting off the tops of the bunches and discarding the bottom stems.