Romaine

Migas is the name of a popular Spanish starter of breadcrumbs fried with ham; it's typically served with fried eggs. Here, migas becomes a crouton topping for the salad.

Be sure to chop the lettuce into small pieces so that it's easy to eat when serving buffet-style. My homemade Ranch Dressing complements all of the flavors. To keep down the calories in the dressing, I use nonfat yogurt. The taste is in no way affected.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A pretty and refreshing composed salad that can be made using only one skillet.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

You've never seen these on the menu at your local fast-food Mexican restaurant, and you probably never will. One of the joys of cooking is that leftovers can be used to create better meals than most people get when they eat out. These tacos are remarkably simple to make. Just put the various ingredients in their own serving containers on the table and let everyone serve themselves.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For the following salad, you may prepare the dressing and lettuce early in the day so they can be tossed together just before serving.

Beets--both pickled and boiled--have long been a popular German side dish for meats. The sour cream dressing gets a kick from vinegar and mustard.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In doubling or tripling this recipe, you can put all the ingredients for the dressing into a blender (cutting the amount of garlic in half) for a quick whirl. Store the dressing in a screw-cap jar until the salad is ready to be tossed. The flavor is the same, but the texture of the dressing is creamy and looks less attractive on the romaine.