Recipes with salt

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.

Cha-Cha Murphys are Mexican-style twice-baked potatoes stuffed with salsa, cilantro, buttermilk, sour cream, and Monterey Jack cheese. All done in the microwave.

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.

Pumpkin soup with split peas, bacon, onion, and thyme simmered in vegetable stock until the peas and pumpkin are tender. A hearty, thick autumn soup with Caribbean roots.

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

Fresh spinach and walnut salad with green onions in a simple lemon-olive oil dressing. A crisp, vegan side salad with a salt-wilting technique for tender leaves.

Old-fashioned apple crisp with tart apple slices, cinnamon, and a buttery flour-sugar crust baked together in one dish. Serve warm with cream.

Individual party pizzas on homemade dough with Italian sausage, pepperoni, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella. Pre-baked 7-inch crusts topped and finished in the oven.

Lamb with cashew curry blends ground cashews, dried red chilies, and toasted whole spices into a fragrant masala simmered with yogurt, saffron, and tender lamb cubes. Restaurant-style Indian cooking at home.