Cilantro

The verde on the succulent swordfish comes from the cilantro and chili marinade and a silky avocado mayonnaise. Start out with salsa and tortilla chips, and serve Mexican beer throughout the meal.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar over some tortilla chips, and pop them under the broiler for a minute-you'll have instant first-course nachos. All you need with the salad is a basket of tortillas or crusty bread. Mix some cinnamon into chocolate pudding to wrap up this Mexican-style dinner. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Raita is a fresh yogurt sauce that typically accompanies curries and other Indian dishes. This raita also acts as a marinade.

Here we've adapted the classic Chinese dish "squab in jade," in which the meat is minced, stir-fried, and served in "cups" of lettuce.

This recipe originally accompanied Tex-Mex Turkey Meat Loaf and Chipotle Mashed Potatoes .

This recipe was created to accompany Crudités and Grilled Sausages with Sweet and Hot Chutneys.

Pass hot pepper sauce and warm buttered tortillas to complete this easy dish.

(From Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, License to Grill, Morrow, 1997) Tommy who? Chris and John explain: "This classic Latin American dish is that rare bird, a completely healthful vegetarian meal that appeals to the taste buds of teenagers. Or at least it appeals to the buds of Tommy, a teenager who lives in the apartment above one of us and is the nephew of the other one. Tommy prefers his rice and beans cooked separately, rather than together, and likes lots of garlic and only a few bell peppers in the mix; so that's how we make it here. For some reason, it has almost as high an appeal rating as pizza and chips, those quintessential meatless teenage favorites."

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Corn bread and a black bean, green onion and red bell pepper salad with lime vinaigrette are good barbecue side dishes. End with lemon bar cookies from the bakery.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Cheddar Shortcakes with Corned Beef Hash.

"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."

This recipe can be made in 45 minutes or less.

This is a coleslaw-style salad — its sweet, spicy, and crunchy elements make it a terrific accompaniment to anything fried. Sichuan peppercorns, sometimes called fagara, can be found at many Asian markets (though they're technically banned from import because they come from a plant that is susceptible to citrus canker, a disease that devastates citrus orchards). There's no substitute for their flavor, but if you can't find them, the recipe works perfectly well without them.