Experiment with different varieties of eggplant if you see them at the grocery or farmer’s market—don’t let the unique shapes and colors stop you, as any type is delicious. This rich stew is lovely spooned over soft corn polenta, or even over toasted baguette slices.
Feel free to toss in some chopped fall butternut squash or parsnips instead of carrots for this delicious autumn harvest soup.
Ratatouille is a classic French melding of harvest vegetables, starring creamy eggplant, sweet bell peppers, small zucchini, and sweetly-ripe tomatoes. The recipe varies, from a stovetop stew to a grilled platter of tender and slightly charred veggies. Mediterranean herbs—oregano, thyme, rosemary, and lavender—often scent this blend of sun-kissed vegetables. Add some rich chicken thighs, brushed with an olive vinaigrette, to round out a perfect patio meal.
Traditional harissa is an incendiary red spice paste that’s stirred into couscous dishes. This green version is not quite as hot and adds a lovely herbal note to this flavorful one dish meal. Serve the chicken stew over the couscous in shallow bowls, garnishing with a spoonful of the green sauce and some sweet red grape halves, golden raisins, or toasted slivered almonds.
The pairing of spices, dried fruit, and salty brined olives or capers with meat is distinctly Spanish—and is a favorite way to season ground meat in Cuba. A slow-cooked chicken stew seasoned up the same way is warming and really delicious if made a day ahead so the flavors bloom.
Squash ribbons and fresh herbs are added to the Basic Honey Tossed Chicken Tender Salad recipe, creating a colorful summer salad.
Fusilli bucati are long corkscrews of pasta, very fun to wind around your fork, thickly coated with a creamy sauce and studded with chunks of chicken and tender spring asparagus.
These rich sandwiches drip with juicy seasoned chicken, ripe tomato, and briny pickles. If you don’t have a sandwich press or Panini grill, cook them on a stovetop grill, griddle, hot skillet, or charcoal grill with chunks of sweet bell pepper and onion.
This recipe creates a baked variation of Mustard Coated Chicken Tenders using pumpkin and cumin seeds to make a seasonal crust for roasted tenders. Serve with an avocado dip.
Traditional chicken curries can have a lot of fat. This version is full of the great flavors of the best curry dish, but with a fraction of the calories. The brilliant green “chutney” is really an herbal salsa, spicy and a fresh counterpoint to the deeper taste of the curry.