Olive

We traded fish for fowl for a fresh approach to the classic niçoise salad, and guess what? It's tastier than ever (and still lowfat).
Think salad means a bland bowl of greens? Not with this recipe, adapted from the revised Taste of Summer cookbook by Diane Rossen Worthington (Chronicle Books). The dish is so full of scrumptious finds, you won't miss the lettuce. You can prepare the salad ingredients and dressing in the morning and refrigerate, then combine and serve for dinner.

Elegant but easy, this fast fish dinner is simple enough to prepare on a weeknight and special enough to serve to company.

High-quality ingredients transform this salad into an extremely satisfying weeknight dinner.

Ann Gillespie of Alexandria, Virginia, writes: "Because I'm balancing graduate school and a family, I try to cook things that don't take a lot of time. But I love experimenting with ingredients, so most of my recipes are easy to make and use interesting flavor combinations. The olives and cinnamon in this stew give it a nice Moroccan flavor. This dish balances sweet and savory with tangy Kalamata olives and golden raisins.

Couscous is one of the fastest side dishes to prepare, but this jazzed-up, garlicky rendition shows that it need not be bland. Serve it with the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Paillards or with grilled Italian sausages.

These tangy Cheddar crisps puff slightly while they bake, making them a versatile base for hors d'oeuvres.

Made with crisp radishes, salty olives, and feta, and dressed with minted olive oil and lemon, this salad really sings. Not technically a grain, but rather the seed of an herb, quinoa hails from South America. (It is often called a "supergrain" because it contains more protein than any grain.) Bulgur comes from the hulled, cracked berries of whole wheat, and has a nutty flavor.

Think of this flavorful medley as an antipasto pasta. Add sides like tomato bruschetta and a romaine-radicchio salad for a fantastic summer supper. What to drink: A bold Sangiovese or Rioja.

Oven-drying the tomatoes before baking the tart concentrates their sweetness and prevents juices from softening the filling. This makes a great summer starter, light lunch, or supper. What to drink: A glass of dry rosé to echo the Provençal flavors of the tart, or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Planking is one of Ted Reader's favorite ways to cook because it simultaneously bakes, grills, and smokes the meat or fish. It's an especially good technique for barbecuing fish, which has a tendency to flake and fall apart on the grill. For this recipe, begin soaking the cedar plank one day ahead. what to drink: J.L. Wolf 2003 Riesling, Wachenheimer Belz, Pfalz, Germany ($20).

This is the perfect condiment to perk up a roast beef or pork sandwich.

Caponata This recipe makes a lot of caponata, so you'll definitely have leftovers. But it keeps well and is so addictive you'll be happy to have extra on hand.

Eli Gorelick of West Orange, New Jersey, writes: "As a kid growing up in Cuba, I worked alongside my mother every day in the kitchen, learning how to make specialties like picadillo and fried bananas. I still think Havana has the best Cuban food in the world, and I continue to love the recipes I learned during my childhood." Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries; it's made with ground meat, tomatoes, and regional ingredients. The Cuban version includes olives and is usually served with black beans and rice.

I grew up in a household where we didn't eat meat on Friday, which presented a problem because when I was a child, I didn't like most fish or shellfish. My mother solved this dilemma by making me pasta with canned tuna and tomato sauce. This is my adult version of that recipe, made with high-quality preserved tuna with capers and anchovies added to hit the notes one expects in such a classic seafood pasta.

Insalata di Sedano, Avocado, e Peperone con Olive Nere I find the flavors and texture of this salad to be particularly agreeable immediately following a seafood course.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Brini Maxwell's Guide to Gracious Living. For Maxwell's tips on throwing a summer pool party, click here. What family reunion would be complete without potato salad? This is my mother's recipe. It's delicious — tasty and tangy, just as potato salad should be.

Combining sweet, sour, salty, and bitter ingredients with a tangy vinaigrette,this salad almost explodes with flavor.