Recipes with salt

Stirred custard sauce is a quick microwave crème anglaise with egg yolks, half and half, amaretto, and vanilla. Silky and ready to spoon over fresh fruit.

Cucumber, red onion and watercress salad with thin pickling cucumber slices marinated in seasoned rice vinegar, tossed with oil and arranged on a peppery watercress wreath. A clean, refreshing side for rich meals.

Microwave chocolate pots de crème made for two with German sweet chocolate, half-and-half, and egg yolks. Silky French custard, no oven, no water bath. Chills in the fridge.

Taco salad with crisp baked tortilla whiskers, seared steak glazed with cumin, cinnamon and vinegar, black beans, cheese and guacamole over shredded romaine. A lighter, restaurant-worthy taco salad in 20 minutes.

Turnip gratin with potatoes, Gruyere cheese, and fresh dill baked under a crispy breadcrumb topping. A creamy, nutmeg-scented side dish that can be prepped a day ahead.

Hot Dutch slaw with shredded cabbage steamed tender and dressed in a sweet-sour egg vinegar sauce. A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch warm cabbage side dish.

Chinese-style fried shrimp balls with minced shrimp, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and ginger, bound with egg white and cornstarch then deep-fried golden and crispy.

One-skillet pork cashew stir fry with tenderloin strips, carrots, green pepper, and roasted cashews in a sweet soy-brown sugar sauce. A fast weeknight dinner served over rice in 40 minutes.

Meatless spaghetti sauce with bulgur wheat stirred in for hearty texture, simmered with tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and bay leaf. Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash.

Chicken tacos with rice featuring flour-dredged browned chicken simmered in chili sauce, Worcestershire, dry sherry, and chicken broth. A saucy, Mexican-inspired skillet dinner over fluffy rice.

Spaghettini tossed with sauteed leeks, garlic, white wine, and chopped clams, finished with peppery arugula wilted in at the last second. Italian seafood pasta dinner for two in 45 minutes.

Microwave chili with lean ground beef, kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, and a clever fat-draining colander trick. Weeknight dinner ready in 25 minutes.

Spanish rice in the slow cooker: ground beef, bell peppers, onions, and converted rice braised low in tomato sauce with chili powder and Worcestershire. A dump-and-go family-sized one-pot dinner.

Smoked pulled pork shoulder doused in a tangy apple cider vinegar marinade with chipotle peppers and garlic. Hickory smoke meets slow-burn chili heat, piled on soft rolls with slaw.

Summer vegetable pasta with seared zucchini, yellow squash, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and basil tossed with ziti and Parmesan. Bright, garden-fresh, and quick.

Granola and brown sugar give this cookie its crunch and rich flavor.