Peanut

Christine Warren of New York, New York, writes: "On a recent evening out on the town, my friends and I decided to go for Margaritas at Zarela. What started out as drinks soon turned into appetizers and then dessert (a well-balanced meal, in our view). We loved the divine peanut butter tart."

Matt McMillan, Big Bowl's executive chef, threw together these items for his lunch one day. We ran it as a special the next week. It's simple and delicious.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Inspired by Vietnamese cuisine, this combination is also satisfying on its own as a meatless lunch.

During World War II, chocolate was too valuable to be used for baking. As a result, brownies, which had been a favorite since around the turn of the century, were made less often. With the return to prosperity in the 1950s, this much-loved dessert came back into vogue--and became more popular than ever. Our rich and dense brownies are studded with peanuts and chocolate chips, and are partnered with a rich milk chocolate and peanut butter sauce. They're terrific served with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter-vanilla swirl or peanut butter ice cream. Serve the brownies slightly warm or at room temperature.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, and lots of fresh mint accent the salad. Offer chilled beer or a fruity white wine alongside.

When fresh wide rice noodles are stir-fried, they are called fun. Fresh rice noodles have to be pulled apart and fluffed before cooking.

Ginger and crushed red pepper help round out the Thai theme of this quick dish.

Inspired by a spicy-hot snack mixture sold by East Indian markets in the United States, we played around with the "back of the box" recipe for Chex Mix and came up with the following. The sesame sticks called for are often included in cans of mixed nuts, but they are also found, without the nuts, in boxes or the bulk bins at natural foods stores and supermarkets. If you can't find them, substitute additional cereal.

Pretty and delicious, this pasta has plenty of vegetables, lots of snap and crunch, and a terrific Asian-style peanut sauce.