Spanish-Leaning Spinach and Chickpea Dip

Spinach Hummus
I waffled about whether to name this 'hummus' or 'chickpea dip', but ultimately thought it veered far enough from tradition to go with the latter. It is, in any case, delicious. If you've ever had any doubt as to the strength of pounded garlic, this little dish will set you straight.

Spiced-Rubbed Skirt Steak

spiced-skirt-steak-recipe
Skirt steak is a great choice for a weeknight meat craving: it cooks up superfast and takes great to rubs. A few slices served with a plateful of veggies and whole grains brings something traditionally thought of as a nutritional no-no (steak) into a more nourishing category.

Mama Kourtesi’s Beet and Green Salad

beet-green-salad
Inspired by the Greek essence of "whole eating," this colorful four-ingredient salad (or awesome side dish) puts both beet and beet greens good delicious use.

Guatemalan Guacamole Avocado Salad

avocado-salad
Inspired by traditional Guatemalan avocado salad, this guacamole recipe has a couple of surprising ingredients. Serve it as an appetizer or a condiment.

Asian Turkey Salad

asian-turkey-salad
This fresh, bright, light turkey salad with Asian flair is quite a departure from the usual all-American Thanksgiving leftovers.

Pumpkin Curry with Chicken Thighs

pumpkin-curry
Any Gewurztraminer left over from Thanksgiving will go beautifully with this creamy, spicy, aromatic pumpkin curry. If you have a lime tree, crumple up a leaf and throw it into the curry as it simmers (then discard)—it will perfume the dish much as kaffir lime leaves do.

Braised Kale Trio

kale
Use a mixture of different kales, if you can get your hands on them. A local farmer, Bibianna Love, opened my eyes to the incredible variety of flavors and textures between them.