Yogurt

Chef Seamus Mullen serves these robustly flavored meatballs as a shared plate at El Colmado, his New York City tapas bar, but they’re also a great main.

Fragrant bits of spicy ground lamb and heaps of fresh herbs in this recipe to transform ordinary lentils into the pantry party kid.

The double-frying technique is the secret to a shatteringly-crisp crust; the first sets the spiced batter in place, the second lacquers the chicken with a crunchy outer layer.

Chia seeds form a gel when they’re soaked in liquid for awhile, making it a kind of high-protein analog to tapioca pudding. Though you’ll find tubfuls of chia pudding at your local health food store, it tastes especially good when cut with another texture like the yogurt here.

Weekday pancakes sound like a stretch? Make the batter Sunday evening and start the week strong.

Spaghetti squash varies greatly in terms of wetness. You’ll really want to squeeze out as much liquid as possible so your fritters fry up crisp, not soggy.

Dates get even more Middle Eastern, dunked in tahini.

Prettiest when not piled too high; divide the salad over two platters and put one at each end of the table.

For a beautiful, almost bone-white soup, don’t let the leeks and onion take on any color as they soften.

Onions are loaded with umami flavor, as are anchovies, mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce. Together, they make this dip especially hard to resist.

A cooling, slightly garlicky spread that’s great with braised lamb tonight and possibly even better when added to a lamb sandwich tomorrow.

It doesn’t come out of a soft-serve machine, and you can’t twist it, but our version of fro-yo wins at everything else.

Chef Einat Admony’s keys to getting kids to eat yogurt: Make it bright red and thicker than ice cream.

Top this thickened, spreadable yogurt with a drizzle of olive oil and some spices (we’re suckers for za’atar).

The ultimate do-ahead, portable power breakfast; it’s also great with fresh fruit.

Used in place of mayonnaise, yogurt brings tang and brightness to these crostini.

Honey-sweetened yogurt with dates and rhubarb is perfect for snack time, breakfast, or dessert.

Eggplant is like a sponge. Salting it draws out moisture and firms up the flesh, and deep-frying ensures it cooks evenly until creamy throughout. Worth your time.

No ice cream maker? Use store-bought frozen yogurt, or serve this over lightly sweetened Greek yogurt.

Because flavors become muted in cold dishes, season this gazpacho as you go and taste again after chilling. Soon this recipe will be in your summer repertoire.

Warming the honey with rose water infuses it with flavor.

First time grilling your greens? Lay them across the grill grates so they don’t fall through, and be ready to turn them—they char quickly.

This two-part cooking technique adds layers of texture—a creamy inside and a crisp outside.

With a texture somewhere between a latke and a pancake, these vegetarian fritters are also gluten-free. (Thanks, chickpea flour!)