All the best flavors of the Mediterranean, tossed in a lovely salad. We prefer the chicken grilled and sliced, but if you're pressed for time, you can easily substitute 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken from the deli.
Pumpkin tacos are easy appetizers to prepare, but offer complex flavors. Guests can assemble their own, adding toasted chiles, slaw, and pumpkin seeds.
Sweet potatoes are naturally silky textured yet low in fat. They’re also a great source of betacarotene and fiber. Scoop it with baby bok choy, separated into leaves.
Follow the recipe to make your own kimchi, or take a shortcut and use the condiment ready-made from the store. Pair the burgers with a beer with balanced malt and hops like Saigon Export.
Photo by Thomas J. Story; food styling by Randy Mon
9 of 20Photo by Thomas J. Story; food styling by Randy Mon
French Toast Kebabs
Turn French toast into food-on-a-stick. It takes just three tricks for perfect results: Use day-old bread, cut each bread cube to include some crust, and soak the skewers.
Baked in a very hot oven, the sauce reduces until the panch phoron seeds cling to the chicken and vegetables in chewy nubbins.
Photo by Annabelle Breakey, styling by Randy Mon
11 of 20Photo by Annabelle Breakey, styling by Randy Mon
Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Polenta
Recipe editor Amy Machnak makes this rustic Italian dish when friends come over to watch Nip/Tuck. “It has a wow factor when you serve it with a bottle of Pinot Grigio.”
Photo by Annabelle Breakey; food styling by Randy Mon
13 of 20Photo by Annabelle Breakey; food styling by Randy Mon
North Indian-style Spinach Chicken
“Serve this curry with basmati rice, some plain yogurt, and a chopped cucumber–red onion salad―which you can make while the chicken cooks,” says food editor Margo True.
14 of 20Annabelle Breakey; styling by Robyn Valarik
Root Vegetable Gratin
We love the earthy, sweet flavor of the root vegetable combination in this cheesy gratin, but you could also go with the classic all-potato version (use 5 large potatoes, about 31/2 lbs. total, in place of the celery root and parsnips).
French Four-Spice Cake with Browned Butter Spice Frosting
This cake starts out tasting like citrus and sweet spices, then builds to a gentle pepper glow if the quatre épices is made with white pepper, or a good kick if it’s based on black pepper.