Recipes with scallions, spring or green onions

Spicy Thai tofu salad with marinated tofu, shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, and red bell pepper over fresh spinach. Bright sesame-rice-vinegar dressing with garlic, cilantro, and chili heat.

Stuff a pita pocket with crispy bacon, torn romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, shredded carrots, and ranch dressing for a fresh BLT garden pita in just 10 minutes. No cooking required.

Sesame soy eggplant salad is a cold, silky Chinese-style starter: steamed eggplant torn into strips and tossed in a punchy Hunan vinaigrette of ginger, garlic, soy, chili oil and sesame. Light, vegan, and refreshing.

Shortcut calzones made with refrigerated pie crust, hot Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, pine nuts, and roasted peppers. Italian-American takeout flavor at home in under an hour.

Vegetable lasagna with tofu, spinach, mushrooms, and melted mozzarella layered with no-boil noodles. A hearty meat-free dinner for six with only 10 minutes of prep.

This recipe uses ready-made taco shells, but soft tortillas are good too.

Cold sesame peanut noodle salad with chicken, bean sprouts, scallions, and red pepper, tossed in a garlicky peanut butter-soy dressing. Asian-inspired pasta salad served chilled over crisp lettuce.

Cantonese-style fried rice loaded with shrimp, char siu pork, chicken, peas, and eggs. Seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and optional shrimp paste for serious wok flavor.

Cajun-spiced shrimp sautéed with white wine and smothered in a warm homemade remoulade loaded with horseradish, whole-grain mustard, and lemon juice. Served over angel hair pasta, this Louisiana-inspired dish brings the bayou to your table.

Crustless crab quiche with zucchini, mushrooms, reduced-fat cheddar, and evaporated skim milk. A lighter take on quiche with both microwave and oven instructions.

Silky crab meat stir-fried with ginger, scallions, and cooking wine, finished with wispy egg white and poured over blanched baby bok choy. A light, elegant Chinese seafood dish ready in 35 minutes.

This handsome potage has many personalities as it may be presented in a variety of ways: hot, cold, pureed, or country style.

Creamy asparagus soup with leeks, red potatoes, tarragon, and basil, simmered in 30 minutes. A velvety, herb-scented bowl that tastes like spring in every spoonful.

Crispy chicken chunks coated in water chestnut flour, deep-fried golden, then tossed with roasted peanuts in a spicy sauce of chili paste, dark soy, sesame oil, and Chinese red vinegar. Restaurant-quality kung pao at home.

A thick, rustic Italian-style soup loaded with penne, cannellini beans, fennel, zucchini, and summer squash simmered in vegetable broth spiked with dry vermouth. Low-fat, naturally vegetarian, and feeds 8 from one big pot in about an hour.

Vegetarian mu shu tofu with shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, five spice, and plum sauce, rolled in whole wheat chapatis. A plant-based spin on mu shu pork.