Bell Pepper

A basic tossed salad is transformed into a crunchy sandwich by wrapping it up. This makes a great side dish for grain, bean, pasta, and soy entrées.

If you like leeks, you’re sure to enjoy this dressed-up version of hash browns. Use firm-textured potatoes, such as red-skinned or Yukon gold, rather than mealy ones, for best results. Serve with sautéed soy “sausage,” allowing 2 links per serving, and a salad of mixed baby greens with tomatoes and carrots.

Soft goat cheese is a splendid spread for wraps, with a special affinity for red peppers.

A lighter tortilla dish, this is good served with a hearty grain pilaf or a bean dish.

Here are those handy refried beans again, in a different guise. They help hold this tortilla specialty together.

See the accompanying menu for a pizza meal that celebrates spring.

This pairs well with light pasta dishes, as in the suggested menu.

So good and very easy, this recipe might just be the ticket to onverting tofu skeptics.

This hearty dish is reminiscent of Chinese restaurant peppersteak.

These simple kebabs may become a staple for you if you like grilled foods. In the colder months, they turn out well from the broiler. Serve with corn on the cob, diced fresh tomatoes, and a simple slaw made from shredded cabbage and your favorite vinaigrette.

The sweet flavor of sautéed peppers contrasts delectably with crisp polenta. Try serving this with Rice and Peas (page 100) and a simple tossed salad.

Broccoli is one of the most harmonious additions to pasta salad. Try this in the menu with Pizza Margherita (page 154).

Here’s a light grain salad using versatile, quick-cooking couscous.

Like slaws, this salad is nifty served with sandwiches and veggie burgers. It’s a great choice for taking on picnics as well.

A hefty salad like this one can easily share center stage with a grain or pasta dish as shown in the menus for Bulgur with Cabbage and Green Beans (page 109) and Summer Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes (page 64).

Sometimes Israeli salad is embellished with fresh herbs, olives, or radishes, which you can add if you’re so inclined. But here it is in its essential form, the way my father-in-law, Arie Tabak, makes it. He also serves fresh rye bread with it, to soak up the delicious liquid that forms as it stands.

As close to “classic” coleslaw as any of the slaws here, this is especially good with sandwich meals and veggie burgers. See the super-easy menu below. It’s a quick and nourishing meal you can make even if dinnertime finds you exhausted.

Cabbage and corn kernels are a salad marriage made in heaven.

This hors d’oeuvre is straight from the tapas bars of southern Spain. A few of these with a glass of sangría and I’m in heaven. It’s important to have your local fish guy fillet the sardines for you and save yourself the hassle. Spanish paprika is truly an underrated spice—it has a very satisfying smoky flavor that intensifies the taste of the roasted peppers. I have been experimenting with it in everything lately because I love its depth.