Weeknight Dinners

I'm forever thinking about how to cook yummy yet healthy meals using fresh (not boxed, canned, or otherwise packaged or processed) food on weeknights. Every time I walk through the stalls at the farm market or the aisles at Whole Foods I think: What looks good? What am I in the mood for? What haven't I had in a while? That's how I pick out my main ingredients--usually proteins, but sometimes not. Then I decide on side dishes--frequently a greens salad gets into the mix, but on winter nights I like braised greens or steamed squash. But the entire time I'm also thinking: This has got to be fairly quick and easy.

Here's some of the dishes I plan on making in the coming week:

• Cod or haddock poached in a bouillabaisse-type broth, meaning tomatoes (fresh if greenhouse-grown locally, canned if not), fennel, leeks, etc.
• Ground lamb burgers topped with whipped-up-in-a-flash tzatziki
• Vegetable soup--everything but the kitchen sink--eaten with crusty Portuguese rolls or a side of cheese, olives, and pickles
• Braised rainbow chard, topped with a bit of butter, garlic, and lemon zest
• Mashed root vegetables, mixed with the tiniest pinch of saffron and some fresh herbs
• Spiced carrots, roasted or steamed and jazzed up with whatever spices move you that day--smoked paprika, Moroccan seasonings, or even Grains of Paradise (flowery and citrusy yet peppery, too)
• Steamed-in-the-microwave acorn squash, scooped from its peel, then sauteed with brown butter, brown sugar or maple syrup, and lots of salt and pepper