Weeknight Meals

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Despite its name, the "hot ajvar" called for in this recipe from Zov Karamardian, of Zovs Bistro and Bakery in Tustin, California, is fairly mild. If you cant find ajvar, a substitute can be made by pureeing a seven-ounce can of drained roasted bell peppers with two tablespoons of tomato paste and two tablespoons of purchased chili-garlic sauce, which is available at most supermarkets.

A tangy tomato-herb sauce and Parmesan accent chicken that's cooked in a flash.

This South American version of beef steak is wonderfully good eating.

Steamed asparagus and a baguette are good accompaniments. Drizzle Champagne over raspberries and diced pineapple for dessert.

Serve this flavorful chili with chopped green onion, cilantro and red bell pepper.

Mary Risley, director of Tante Marie's cooking school, says, "I dreamed up this recipe years ago when I was trying to cook Thanksgiving dinner on a four-burner stove with only one oven. And I've found that this is really the only vegetable needed to go with the turkey and mashed potatoes. It has the creamed onions everyone wants, it has the corn the Pilgrims must have eaten, and it has the fresh vegetables my Northern California friends and family have come to expect."

"Because I love to cook, I'll use any excuse to make dinner for my family or friends. Most of the recipes I concoct are partly based on how the ingredients look—presentation is very important to me," Dave Purdy of Hopewell, New Jersey. "Here, I combined celery root with Swiss chard because the colors and textures contrast so nicely." This tangy side dish would be good with roasted poultry or meat.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You can find the black bean sauce in the oriental section of your supermarket.

A simple salad with a tangy dressing-perfect for and April picnic.

Aji amarillo is a Peruvian chile. This salsa uses a jarred paste made from these flavorful and fiery bright yellow peppers. This recipe is an accompaniment for Pork Tenderloin Churrasco .

Somen Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr In a six-part series in 1975, correspondent Elizabeth Andoh taught us about the reverent seasonality of Japanese cuisine. It was with this summer recipe that many of us learned that noodles as well as rice are eaten in Japan. The concept of icy-cold noodles took only one taste to grasp: Andoh's recipe for somen is one of the lightest and most refreshing pasta preparations we've ever had.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

Serve this delicious curried chicken dish with steamed basmati rice or Indian flatbreads.