Curried Coconut Soup with Lemongrass MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes A Thai-style soup that becomes quite substantial when you add fried tofu (or try Crunchy Crumbled Tempeh). This soup is also wonderful with a couple of spoonfuls of Steamed Sticky Rice or a cup or...
Creamy Watercress, Spinach, or Sorrel Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 30 minutes Watercress is among my favorite greens; I find its assertively peppery, herbaceous flavor irresistible. Using it as a soup base tames its spiciness somewhat but without sublimating its...
Eggplant Salad with Miso MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 30 minutes The typical way to prepare this traditional Japanese salad is to boil the eggplant, and I give directions for doing it that way. But if you have the time and energy, sautГ© the cubes in a little peanut...
Cucumber Salad with Soy and Ginger MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes, largely unattended This is likely different from most cucumber salads you’ve ever tasted, but nondairy, easy, and delicious. 1 to 11/2 pounds (about 3 medium) cucumbers Salt and freshly ground...
Creamy Cauliflower (or Broccoli) Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 30 minutes Creamy cauliflower soup is simple and comforting; I like to make a double batch in the winter and have it ready to go in the refrigerator, since its mild, uncomplicated flavor makes it a...
Creamy Carrot Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 45 minutes This classic French soup can be varied in several ways and can also be produced in a completely different fashion, as in the Glazed Carrot Soup and the Thai version at right. Pure carrot soup is thick and smooth...
Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream or Yogurt MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes, largely unattended If you use real garden cucumbers or the long, skinny “European” or “English” cucumbers, you can skip the salting (you may even be able to skip the seeding). But...
Corn Salad MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes Commercial corn salads and salsas are usually made with frozen corn. I’m not against frozen, but if corn is going to be the star, you gotta go fresh. Here you have three choices for preparing the corn: If it’s just...
Cream of Parsley Soup MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes This brings the green, fresh taste of parsley to soup. Be sure to wash the parsley very, very well (use a salad spinner, repeatedly, until the water is perfectly clear): The tiniest bit of sand can ruin your...
Corn Chowder MAKES: 4 servings TIME: About 1 hour This chowder celebrates the bounty of a single summertime crop—corn. And since you will probably make it only once or twice a year, I would opt for the richer half-and-half option, though the leaner version has a...
Cool Yogurt Soup with Nuts MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 4 hours, largely unattended There is nothing easier than turning a couple cups of yogurt, some herbs, and a handful of cut-up vegetables—or fruit, for that matter—into a quick chilled soup, but this is a little...
Chinese Marinated Celery MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 15 minutes, plus 3 hours to marinate A little something to snack on before dinner, a great side dish, or a unique addition to a picnic spread. Ten times better than you could imagine. Try it with carrots too. 1 pound...