Vegan

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 40 min

Just a few ingredients are all it takes to prepare a wonderful side dish that's great for any time of the year.

A lovely summer dish. Be sure to make the oil several hours ahead.

A unique combination of ingredients gives this compote a sweet and tangy pickled taste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, place the toasted coriander seeds in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin.

Piquant and full of spices, this chutney is an unexpected, pleasantly bright condiment for scrambled eggs. Active time: 45 minutes Start to finish: 1 week (includes allowing flavors to develop)

I know of no better way with strawberries than this quick and simple method. You don't need an ice cream machine to make this sorbet, just a little sugar, water, and a food processor.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Chinese long beans cut into smaller lengths also work well in this recipe.

There are many packaged side dishes on the market, but we particularly like curried couscous. Here, it becomes a main course. Serve with: Warm flatbread and spinach salad with citrus vinaigrette.

For this salsa, we prefer the tang of a regular pineapple — not too ripe and not "extra sweet." Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 hr

The recipe for this moist, dark, fragrant gingerbread pays tribute to Dona Abramson and Stuart Tarabour at the Bright Food Shop, a terrific little Mexican-fusion café in Chelsea where I spent some time. This was my favorite of their desserts, and it has since become a seasonal classic at Gramercy Tavern, though I've made a few adaptations and embellished a bit. My recipe has just a touch of cloves, and instead of just the ginger and cinnamon in a typical gingerbread, I use a panoply of spices, including cardamom, nutmeg, and a lot of fresh ginger, to give the cake a racy, intriguing flavor. The most unusual thing about this recipe is that stout is substituted for the water or coffee used in most gingerbread recipes. I find it adds a lot of richness and underscores the spices. Since it is made with oil, this cake will stay moist for several days. Dress it up or simply enjoy it on its own, with coffee, tea, or a beer!