Red Cabbage

We adapted this gorgeous salad, full of intriguing flavors and textures and so colorful it looks like a fireworks display, from a recipe that Mexican chef María Dolores Torres Yzábal contributed to México, The Beautiful Cookbook.

The ultimate Danish holiday dish from chef Torben Jensen of Gråbrødre Torv 21 restaurant.

"This is a recipe inspired by a salad I had as part of a sumptuous feast at Adriatica, an exquisite restaurant atop Seattle's Queen Anne Hill," says Lise R. Bonin of Austin, Texas. "Both the view and the food made for a most memorable anniversary dinner for my husband and me several years ago."

Ana Garcia of Cuernavaca, Mexico, writes: "My great-grandmother, Josefina, was a highly regarded butcher, and she taught me the communal style of cooking that Mexico is known for. That's one of the reasons I opened my own cooking school, La Villa Bonita — to show others how authentic Mexican cuisine is prepared, as opposed to the usual tacos, burritos, and Tex-Mex dishes." My husband, Robb, and I also run our own restaurant, Reposado. He insisted that we open the place because he thought my recipes deserved a wider audience. At the restaurant I like to experiment — the menu at Reposado is nouvelle Mexican — but at my cooking school I feature more traditional recipes. Working at both places gives me the chance to show off both cooking styles. When beets are cooked as they are in this recipe, they turn a bright fuchsia color. Wear disposable plastic gloves when working with beets. Puree only one or two cups of hot soup at a time, holding the top of the blender firmly to keep it from flying off.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

My mother always made wonderful side dishes — and made them look so easy. Indeed, they were! A few fresh vegetables, great herbs, a little mustard or vinegar, and kosher salt were all it took for her to make something taste like it came right from the garden. Here's her incredibly simple recipe for coleslaw — a step removed from traditional recipes that are typically bland and smothered in mayonnaise, this slaw is sharp and crunchy and great with salads, roast meats, and sandwiches.

Maude Emhoff, Stafford Springs, Conn.
Watch the heat carefully, lowering it as necessary. Do not let the casserole boil, or the pork ribs will toughen.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pan-Seared Salmon over Red Cabbage and Onions with Merlot Gastrique. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 30 min

An inspired mix of flavors.

This may be an unusual combination of ingredients and flavors for empanadas, but the pairing of cabbage, blue cheese, and walnuts is a classic that makes a wonderful cold-weather dish. While these empanadas would serve as a delicious and hearty vegetarian main course with the addition of rice and beans, I love these flavors with pork.

Wonderful as a side dish with grilled sea bass, halibut, or marinated, skewered shrimp.

Irish chefs are gifted at making something special out of the simplest ingredients. This pretty side dish is a good example.

This vegetarian bowl is as colorful as it is hearty: brown rice and quinoa, roasted tofu and broccolini, avocado, cabbage slaw, and a turmeric-spiked dressing.

This monochromatic mix of radicchio, cabbage, red onion, and cold weather citrus is bright, crunchy, and fresh—just what your holiday table requires.

Bright sesame-ginger dressing. Fresh, crunchy vegetables. Tender chicken. Toasted nuts. This mountain-high salad is poised to be a hit at every gathering.

Lean on the broiler for a speedy chicken and cabbage salad that’s big on color, crunch, and flavor—and short on time.