Green Bean

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 50 min

Components of this salad can be prepared one day ahead, then tossed together at the last minute. Offer white wine spritzers and iced tea with lunch. Colorful ornamental kale can be found at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

At Aruns in Chicago, owner and chef Arun Sampanthavivat has come up with this fresh take on a traditional Thai recipe.

The dressing is packed with intense flavors, so only a limited amount of oil is necessary.

Pae Thee Thoke Chinese long beans, also known as yard-long beans, really are long — about 18 inches.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

About two centuries ago, field workers near Valencia began sharing a luncheon dish made of rice, vegetables, snails and eels cooked in a flat, oval, two-handled metal pan known as a paellera. And so paella was born.
Rice dishes made in such a pan, whatever the ingredients, are called paella or just arroz con ("rice with"), followed by a description of the contents. The traditional components of this particular version are snails, rabbit and rosemary, which are found in the Valencian mountains.
This equally delectable rendition omits the snails and substitutes chicken for rabbit.
This recipe can be made in a paella pan, a flameproof earthenware casserole or a large skillet.

Soupe au Pistou During Marion Cunningham’s last visit with Richard Olney, he made a version of this recipe, which comes from Simple French Food. As he made it, he told her that he thought the trick to cooking is tasting — in the case of the soup that day, adding the right amount of salt and pepper, then cheese, then a little olive oil, and finally some macaroni. After making the soup in our own kitchens, following the recipe from the book (it's highly adaptable to seasonal produce or the contents of your larder), we can understand why this recipe is so loved among Olney’s fans.

Try preparing this salad for casual luncheons.

(Steamed Green beans) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Greeks call this fassolakia Iadera. It's a traditional vegetable mixture that is often eaten cold, accompanied by hunks of country bread and feta cheese.

Throughout World War II, everyone who had even a little plot of land was encouraged to grow a vegetable garden. Back then, this comforting soup would most frequently be made from water and contain no chicken, which was a Sunday treat. For convenience, you can skip the first part of this recipe and use six cups of stock or canned broth and omit the chicken altogether. But if you want to make the stock from scratch, be sure to do so a day ahead.