Dairy Free

A mandoline makes easy work of slicing beets paper thin; if you don’t have one, you can use a very sharp knife, but the slices will take longer to dry out in the oven and won’t be as crisp once cooled. You’ll need four rimmed baking sheets to make the chips, or you can bake them in batches.

Fresh herbs are a healthy way to season fish and other lean proteins. Here, pungent oregano and bright lemon juice balance the richness of the trout. The whole trout are grilled in this recipe, but you can use the broiler instead; lightly coat the broiler pan or a rimmed baking sheet with oil before heating, and cook the fish for the same amount of time.

Wheat berries, the whole unprocessed wheat kernels, are most often ground to make whole-wheat flour. Like other grains, these kernels can also be cooked—as in this recipe—until they are tender yet pleasantly chewy. An excellent accompaniment to meat or fish, this dish is also substantial enough to serve as a meatless main course.

A mortar and pestle make easy work of crushing whole spices and peppercorns, but you can also use the bottom of a skillet or even the flat side of a chef ’s knife, pressing down firmly and working on a cutting board. Choose apricots that are ripe but still firm so they can hold up under the heat of the grill; brush the apricots and pork with the glaze as soon as they come off the heat. The glaze also tastes great on other grilled meats.

Portobello mushrooms are a nutritious and satisfying alternative to burgers made with beef or turkey. Here they are accompanied by a spread of pureed cannellini beans for added protein—and flavor. To clean the mushroom caps, wipe them with a damp paper towel; do not rinse or soak, or they will remain soggy even after cooking.

This version of pasta salad ditches the mayonnaise-based dressing for a lighter and brighter vinaigrette of flaxseed oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. It also incorporates ample fresh herbs, a variety of vegetables, and kamut pasta—a protein-rich whole-wheat pasta that contains healthy amounts of the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium. Other types of whole-wheat pasta can be used instead. The salad makes a great side for a potluck, but it works as a main course, too.

French green lentils, sometimes called lentilles du Puy, hold their shape well once cooked, making them particularly suited to salads and pasta dishes. Like other legumes, lentils are low in fat and are exceptional sources of folate, iron, and protein, plus other vitamins and minerals. Here, the lentils are combined with whole-wheat pasta shapes called chiocciole (snails), but you can substitute penne or any other short tubular shapes. If you like, grate or shave parmesan over the pasta just before serving.

Avocado provides folic acid, fiber, and monounsaturated fatty acids; pear adds extra soluble fiber and sweetness.

Rice salads make nice gluten-free alternatives to pasta salads; like the latter, they can be served at room temperature or chilled. This fresh-flavored side uses three types of rice—wild, brown, and brown basmati—but any combination of rices would work well.

If you’d like to use fresh peas (you’ll need about a pound for one cup shelled), add them along with the mushrooms.

This nutrient-dense salad capitalizes on fall and winter’s best produce, while delivering ample health benefits. The squash and cranberry beans (also called borlotti or Roman beans) provide fiber, which helps lower cholesterol; the kale prompts the liver to release enzymes that may fight cancer. Other types of winter squash, such as butternut or acorn, would also work in this recipe, as would cannellini or navy beans.

Cooking the chicken with the skin and bones intact ultimately makes the dish more flavorful (and economical), but feel free to substitute two boneless, skinless breast halves for the whole breast in this salad if you prefer (reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes). Bok choy, abundant with cancer-fighting compounds, makes a nutritious accompaniment.

For convenience, you can cook the corn and beans early in the day, toss them with olive oil and smashed garlic, and keep them (covered) in the refrigerator. To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand the ear upright on its flat end; with a sharp knife, cut along the length of the cob, turning as you go.

Grass-fed beef is leaner than beef raised on grain, which ultimately means it’s lower in saturated fat. Here, beef is served over red quinoa, which adds protein and vitamins to the dish. Brown rice is another healthful option.

Foods preserved in brine, usually a mixture of vinegar, chiles, and spices, are called en escabeche (pickled). This technique is most commonly used for vegetables, but also for meat, fish, and eggs.

It’s the crunchy contrast of hard shell and moist filling that does it for fans of fried tacos. Throughout the book are traditional and innovative fillings that make perfect partners to crispy fried tortillas. Try the take-out standard updated and refined as Classic Ground Beef with Guajillo Chiles (page 92), the smoky Tex-Mex allure of Barbecued Brisket (page 99), the fusion appeal of Thai Shrimp (page 59), or the unexpected meatiness of Portobello Mushrooms with Chipotle (page 24). These are just a few of the recipes that let you bring home the crunch without a trip to the drive-through. You can purchase ready-to-fill crispy corn taco shells at most grocery stores. As the shells can quickly get stale and go rancid, buy them at a store with a very high turnover and buy just the amount you need for a meal, as they don’t keep well. Of the national brands that I’ve tasted, those made by Taco Bell were the best and most reliable. With not much effort, though, you can make taco shells that are tastier, fresher, and crisper than any you can buy and in just the size you need. And you don’t even have to use tortillas. Wonton skins and egg roll wrappers, available at almost any supermarket, fry up into delicious shells ready for filling.

These are the fresh fruit drinks of Mexico that you find at markets everywhere served from large ribbed glass jars. Vendors at Mexican markets will offer licuados of all flavors made from local fruit, sugar, and water in a kaleidoscope of colors—hot pinks and greens from melons, yellow from pineapple, purple from hibiscus blossoms, orange from tangerines. No two licuado stands are alike, and this drink represents, for me, the infinite variety and vitality of Mexican cuisine. If you go to Mexico, be sure to try the local licuado, since each region and locality has its own special tropical fruits and ingredients. I prefer to use cane sugar for licuados as it produces a noticeably brighter fruit flavor. For a more natural sugar, substitute a light agave syrup, using about one-fourth less than for cane sugar. If you have a juicer that both squeezes the fruit and strains the pulp, it will produce a fantastic licuado base with the purest fruit flavor. With really ripe, sweet fruit, decrease the amount of sugar in the recipe.

Although used with onions and bell peppers here, this pickling brine works wonderfully well for any type of vegetable you want en escabeche, a common preparation in Mexico. In late summer in New Mexico, as the days begin to shorten and nights get cooler, home cooks will often pickle the remaining abundance of their kitchen gardens to enjoy throughout the winter.