Leafy Greens

Using store-bought flour tortillas in lieu of homemade pancakes makes it easy to replicate this Chinese take-out favorite in your own home. Hoisin sauce, sold in most grocers’ Asian-food section, replaces the traditional (and harder-to-find) plum sauce.

This Asian take on grilled pork chops blends honey, soy sauce, and ginger for a sweet and savory glaze. Grill the bok choy only until char marks form and the outer leaves begin to wilt.

Because they are baked, these breaded cutlets are more healthful and easier to prepare than fried versions. Making the cutlets yourself from a pork tenderloin is less expensive than buying them pre-cut.

Turn leftover meat from Flank Steak with Parsley-Garlic Sauce (page 194) into one of these weeknight dinners. The steak for the salad can be served cold, while the steak in the fajitas will warm through as it gets cooked with the rest of the ingredients.

Butterflying a steak is actually quite simple and can be done quickly at home, but you can also ask your butcher to do it.

Roast beef sandwiches make good use of meat left over from Roast Beef with Peppers, Onions, and Potatoes (page 182). Here are two unexpected takes on the classic.

Milanese, which means “in the style of Milan,” refers to meat (chicken, pork, or veal) that is pounded to an even thickness and then breaded. In this more healthful (and spatter-free) version of the classic Italian dish, the cutlets are baked, not pan-fried.

Roasted chicken breasts gain a big boost with surprising sides: caramelized parsnips and wilted Swiss chard. To save time, this recipe calls for roasting four additional chicken breast halves to use in one of the recipes on the following page.

Thick, flat udon noodles have a sumptuous, chewy texture. Look for them in the Asian-food section of the supermarket. If you can’t find udon, use linguine—just break the noodles in half before boiling them.

The combination of raisins, pine nuts, and chard is typical in Sicilian cooking; here it is used in a robust pasta dish, along with crumbled sweet Italian sausage. Running a paring knife down the center of the sausage is the easiest way to remove the casing.

Whole-wheat spaghetti, which is slightly nuttier and chewier than regular pasta, holds its own with the kale, fontina, and rich, smoky bacon in this substantial main course.

Quickly wilted arugula, canned beans, and toasted walnuts add heft to this vegetarian main course. Try spinach in place of arugula and pine nuts instead of walnuts.

For its flavor, this Italian favorite relies on a combination of vegetables that are first sautéed and then simmered in water—no broth required. You can make the soup through step 2 up to two days beforehand, and then add the beans and pasta just before serving.

This flavorful potato, bean, and mushroom stew is ready in less than an hour. You can use other beans, such as black-eyed peas, in place of the navy beans; kale or Swiss chard would be nice substitutions for the spinach leaves.

Similar to other Tuscan soups, like ribollita and pappa al pomodoro, this recipe makes good use of day-old bread. During cooking, the pieces absorb the broth and help thicken the soup. Shave or grate parmesan cheese over each serving, if desired.

Sugar snap peas add distinctive crunch to this refreshing salad. Look for plump green ones with smooth pods. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them overnight (see below). The zesty dressing is inspired by popular versions served at Japanese restaurants.

You can poach the eggs a few hours before composing the salad. Immediately place them in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking, then keep in a bowl of cool water (it should just reach the tops of the eggs). Reheat briefly in a pan of barely simmering water.

This Southwestern-style salad makes excellent use of shortcut staples such as canned beans, frozen corn, and prepared salsa. Fresh varieties of each can be used instead. Serve additional chips, cheese, and salsa on the side.

A favorite sandwich is updated as a main-course salad, with a tangy buttermilk dressing standing in for the mayonnaise spread.