Tabbouleh originated in the mountains of Lebanon, where it was a succulent salad of greens with a handful of bulgur added to give the dish body. Today, most versions of tabbouleh use lots of bulgur and a modest amount of parsley and tomatoes, but I stick to the Lebanese way, using a lavish amount of vegetables in proportion to the cracked wheat.
Fast Fact: Bulgur is made from wheat berries that are steamed, dried, and cut up.
Quick Tip: Bulgur comes in three textures. Be sure to get the fine one for this recipe.

Really elegantly delicious. Easy

Vogue magazine used to include recipes in its home entertaining articles. One of my favorites was a creamy dip I found in a piece about garden parties. Fresh herbs give this dip a delicate green color while garlic adds an assertive flavor. To slim down the original, which was made with heavy cream, my version of this refreshing dip uses low-fat cheeses and sour cream. I serve it with carrot sticks; red, yellow, and orange pepper strips; and cherry tomatoes.
Fast Fact: Dill is rich in antioxidant carotenoids.
Quick Tip: Use a sharp scissors to snip both chives and dill, rather than chopping them with a knife.

Best carrot cake ever

You can make the peanut sauce anytime and reheat just before serving. It may thicken up a little so you might have to add additional water to it.
The soba noodles should be made just before eating. Or you can make them in advance and add a little oil to them to prevent them from sticking together.

This is a beautiful, colorful salad. Rinse the quinoa carefully before you cook it to get rid of the saponin.

There are lots of variations for this recipe. The first time I made it, I took a fresh carrot and just cut it up into small dice.
The last time I made it, I cooked the couscous in vegetable broth to add a little flavor, then I nestled the grain salad onto a bed of baby spinach leaves, added a few coins of cucumber, extra peas (because I love peas) and microwaved wax beans and then added them, as well as some orange pepper dice.
It’s just a lovely canvas to add veggies to.

This lush smooth soup from Thai-Lao cuisine lends itself beautifully to a Thanksgiving feast. Large wedges of cooking pumpkin, with pale gray-green skins, are sold in Caribbean and Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian groceries. Choose the pumpkin with the reddest flesh. You can also use North American pumpkin or kabocha squash.