Recipes

Simmer antioxidant-rich cherries in a quick pan sauce spiked with whiskey and cranberry juice; it’s luscious on turkey tenderloin (a lean but flavorful, quick-cooking cut you might have overlooked in the poultry case). Make it a meal: Serve with egg noodles.

Sweet sea scallops pair beautifully with lightly sauteed cucumbers. Try adding a handful of julienned snow peas to the cucumbers, for extra crunch. Serve simply with crusty bread or a few boiled new potatoes.

The mellow grilled eggplant melds perfectly with the smoked paprika and tart sherry vinegar that define the flavor of the dressing in this decidedly Spanish salad. Curls of mild Manchego complete the Spanish theme. If you can’t find smoked paprika, substitute Hungarian paprika—the grilled eggplant brings some smoke to the salad on its own.

These simple sautéed mushrooms work as a quick, weeknight side dish. To turn them into a main course, toss with cooked pasta and a generous handful of Parmesan cheese or fold into an omelet with Gruyère, fontina or Swiss cheese.

Toasted nuts and fresh orange zest adorn these versatile green beans. Toast the nuts while you steam the beans and you have a polished addition to any meal ready in 15 minutes flat. Double it: Steam the green beans in a Dutch oven instead of a saucepan.

Creamy Gorgonzola polenta (Italian cornmeal “porridge”) is topped with a tender squash sauté for a complete vegetarian meal. Once you know how easy polenta is to make, you may want to experiment with other Italian-style sauces and toppings. Make it a meal: Serve with crusty garlic bread and a garden salad.

Tomatillos and pepitas form the basis for pepian sauce--one version of Mexican mole.

The secret to the sparkling flavor of these delicately crumbed muffins is the strips of lemon zest finely ground into the sugar. Enjoy the muffins warm right from the oven.

This fresh-tasting whole-wheat pasta recipe is not only flavorable, but healthy. The lemon zest accents the basil beautifully.

Blueberries, loaded with antioxidants, have a balance of sweet and sour, which makes them an excellent base for a rich, tangy barbecue sauce. Fresh thyme rubbed on the steak dovetails wonderfully with the blueberries. Serve with fresh tomato wedges.