Side

Don't let these cool — they're best served straight from the oven.

Smoky vegetables, corn and brown rice are dressed with citrus vinaigrette.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.

Pomegranate seeds are a colorful, tangy garnish for this salad. The season for pomegranates comes to an end by mid-February, so plan ahead and buy one now (they keep for several weeks in the refrigerator). Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

This traditional Indian dish is usually served with basmati rice or Indian bread.

Boiling away the butter and seasonings from the leftover vegetables allows the flavors of the marinade to shine through. (If you don't have any leftover veggies, simply steam a mix of your favorites.)

Franklin serves this dish like a green salad, but it's also

"My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch," writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. "At the time she didn't know how to cook, and learning wasn't easy — the place didn't even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry." Serve with diced cucumber mixed into yogurt.

We strongly recommend using light-colored metal (including nonstick) shallow baking pans (1 large or 2 small) for this recipe. When we used dark baking pans, the potatoes blackened before they were completely cooked through.

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round. Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

If most of the coconut sauces you've encountered have been heavy and cloying, this one — light and frothy, with delicate flavor — will be a delicious surprise. It would also be perfect for spicing up poached skinless boneless chicken. This recipe is an accompaniment for Pistachio Sea Bass with Crab Salad and Coconut Sauce .

A leek puree adds rich flavor. This side dish is especially good with the Brisket with Dried Apricots, Prunes, and Aromatic Spices recipe.

Cardamom pods can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom can be substituted.

"I'm from India," writes Hema Kundargi of Cupertino, California, "and I enjoy the foods of my homeland. My children are the opposite — they like 'American' food. But I haven't given up trying to make Indian meals that the whole family will like. This recipe pleases everyone."