Vegan

Turkish cooking might sound exotic, but it's easy. Most of the ingredients are familiar, and combining them in new ways makes for an exciting and different way to eat. This is an excellent side salad for lamb chops. For a great small-plates dinner party menu that's modern Turkish cooking at its best, pick up the May issue of Bon Appétit.

Adding watercress to potato salad gives this old standby new life. We particularly like the contrast of the crisp, peppery green against the warm, vinegar- and mustard-spiced potatoes.

Instead of the usual approach of topping dandelion greens with hot bacon dressing, here we tame the greens' bitter bite with a Spanish-inspired dressing flavored with almonds, raisins, and Sherry.

I like to think of tofu as a blank canvas just waiting for the application of texture and color. Here, I've panfried it to crisp the edges and draped it in a velvety Vietnamese-style caramel sauce. A shower of fresh herbs and browned shallots gives it an extra layer of flavor. If you prep the herbs and make the sauce ahead, you can put this on the table in under half an hour.

This dish has been one of my family's favorites for years; the secret to its enduring popularity is the caramelized onions. I cook them long and slow until they are meltingly tender and deep golden brown. Their rich sweetness rounds out the earthy flavor of the lentils and kale.

Uyghur flatbreads Topped with a savory mixture of sautéed onion and sesame seeds, this moist, addictive bread gets a pleasant tang from a bit of yogurt added to the dough. Poking holes in it before baking — we use a thick skewer rather than the traditional chicken-feather quills — keeps the nan from getting too puffy.

The flavor of this pasta fagioli is so haunting and the texture so voluptuous that you'll wonder how such modest ingredients could conspire to create something so indulgent. And what makes it successful as a make-ahead main is that the pasta is cooked separately. I make vats of the bean soup ahead, then each time I reheat a portion, I boil up a fresh batch of dried pasta so the al dente texture balances the creaminess of the soup.

Blasting cauliflower florets in a hot oven concentrates their natural sweetness, turning them into something akin to vegetable candy.

In India, lentil-based dals are often served as a side dish, but adding a host of vibrant vegetables turns this into a main course. Brightened with turmeric and infused with garlic, ginger, and spices, the red lentils are cooked down into a creamy purée. Best of all, the flavor improves with time, so make it ahead for a night when you need a quick supper.

I happen to love cream Sherry and prefer the touch of sweetness it gives to this soup, but medium-dry also adds a dash of sophistication. Finished with a squeeze of lime and served with wedges of warm corn bread, this soup makes a satisfying weeknight meal.

Don't be fooled by the short ingredients list; these vegetarian black beans have a surprisingly complex flavor. Since I can't use a meaty bone or lard for a boost, I rely on my trusty trinity of Sherry, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce, three power ingredients that play well together. The pressure cooker makes cooked-from-scratch beans easily feasible for a spur-of-the-moment supper, though I still prefer to cook up a pot on the weekend; beans thicken as they stand, so by making them ahead and thinning them before serving, I actually get more. This recipe serves as the base for two different meals: I set aside half for flavorful beans and rice and purée the other half into a hearty soup spiked with additional Sherry and lime juice.

Because it's one of the easiest vegetarian dishes, soulfully satisfying rice and beans can eventually become, well, tedious. Jazzing it up with colorful toppings transforms it into an exciting meal, chock-full of varying textures and flavors. Not only is this a staple for my family, it's become my default party dish for a crowd.

Juicy pineapple with a nip of rum and ginger is a sophisticated compote that complements bites of the pecan spice cake (recipe precedes) but also makes a satisfying light dessert on its own.

Generations of southerners have tucked fresh hot chiles into vinegar for a pungent homemade hot sauce that sits right next to the salt and pepper on the table. Drizzled over gumbo, red beans and rice, or anything fried, it both balances out and punches up any other flavors it's paired with. The adventurous should feel free to pluck a pepper out of the jar and eat it alongside the meal — it's fine southern form. Doctored with a little sugar and red pepper flakes, it's amazing on the cheddar rice fritters.

Look for tender greens, such as mâche, Boston, and red leaf lettuces, which appear in farmers' markets at this time of year. Or, as an alternative, use premixed baby greens.

Editor's note: This recipe was created by chef Einat Admony for an Israeli Passover menu. This tangy salad is an interesting departure from baba ghanoush, and makes a terrific Passover starter when served with matzoh. You'll want to begin preparing it a day ahead, since it has to marinate overnight.

Editor's note: This recipe was created by chef Einat Admony for an Israeli Passover menu. This recipe uses fresh beets — not canned — to give the broth more flavor. It's a good idea to wear gloves when peeling and slicing the beets, but if your hands get stained, wash them right away with hot soapy water and the color should come off. If you like, additional grated horseradish can be added as a garnish.

The perfect ending to a springtime brunch. Use the best strawberries you can find for that "real berry" flavor.

Haroseth, a fruit and nut condiment, is one of the six elements on the seder plate at Passover. It is traditionally eaten on matzo and symbolizes the mortar that was used to build the pyramids.