A healthy and delicious Mediterranean inspired chicken dish.

A crisp salad dressed with oil, vinegar, and herbs is a light alternative to a side of pasta. The chicken makes wonderful leftovers. Reheat it for 10 minutes, and try it in a sandwich with a little extra sauce on the side.

Look for hoisin sauce and rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of your supermarket. Although ingredients vary, hoisin is generally made with soybeans, chiles, and spices. It’s used as a seasoning at the table and in cooking.

This recipe is based on a Mexican dish created to use up leftovers. For an authentic touch, use fresh Mexican cheese (queso fresco) or aged (queso anejo) in place of feta. Look for both in specialty food stores and Mexican markets.

SHORTCUT MEALS: These recipes take convenience foods (rotisserie chicken, jarred pasta sauce) and transform them into tastes-like-homemade dinners-with remarkably few steps.

Quick and easy, saw something similar on another website but added my own twist with the curry paste to make it faster.

Chicken Souvlaki features the fresh-tasting combination of lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil that is so prevalent in Greek cuisine. Serve it alongside a Greek salad of chunked tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and feta cheese.

The classic dish is updated by adding oven-roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions to deepen the flavors. What to drink: A soft, fruity Sangiovese.

Curries can be quite mild or extremely spicy. It all depends on the type of curry powder that is used to make them-and how much is added. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your own taste.

The barbecue sauce in this recipe is so easy and quick to put together, you may never rely on store-bought sauce again. And what’s more, you probably already have all of the necessary ingredients in your kitchen.