Arugula

Bottled vinaigrette adds a tangy twist to the chicken. This stylish dish goes well with couscous. Molasses cookies and vanilla ice cream sprinkled with chopped crystallized ginger would be a lovely finish.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cornmeal in the dough gives the bread an appealing, slightly crunchy texture.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A colorful, fresh-tasting dish that comes together in minutes. Serve this with a mixed green salad and some bread.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Bruschetta — a rustic Italian canapé — is the perfect vehicle for the robust flavors of late summer. Serve these topped toasts as a first course or, with a salad and a glass of wine, as a light supper.

Common brown lentils may be substituted for the lentils of Le Puy but they cook much more quickly- in about twelve minutes initially. In this recipe the carrots may be cooked separately in boiling salted water until tender for a brighter color. Lentilles du Puy (French green lentils) are available at specialty foods shops and some natural foods stores.

Start with grilled country bread spread with olive paste, or olivada, available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets. Or puree pitted, black, brine-cured olive oil in a processor.

Prosciutto is more familiar in this type of appetizer, but bresaola, beef fillet cured in a similar fashion, gives it a fresh interpretation. When paired with golden Spanish Manchego, the combination is deliciously bold in flavor.

Serve with: French fries or potato chips, and steamed broccoli.

"On the last night of a teachers' conference in Boulder, Colorado, I had dinner with some colleagues at a delightful little restaurant called Dandelion," says Cindy Chassee of Wyoming, Michigan. "We sat on the patio and shared a memorable gnocchi and wild mushroom dish." Gnocchi, tender potato dumplings, aren't difficult to make. A hint of truffle oil intensifies the flavors in the sauce, which would also go well with other types of pasta.