“This dish made a perfect meatless Monday meal.”I have thoughts about lentils. Generally speaking, my first thought is that they’re awfully nice when simmered into a soup, broken down until the broth is thick and the lentils slurpable. But I also see a firmer, more shapely side to these tiny disks, and Yossy Arefi has managed to perfectly showcase this personality trait in her lentil and sweet potato salad. Green, black or brown lentils are cooked until tender but still with some structural integrity, then tossed with a sage-scented brown butter vinaigrette and pillowy pieces of roasted sweet potato. Featured Recipe Brown Butter Lentil and Sweet Potato SaladAdd goat cheese, if you’d like, for creaminess and acidity, substitute another cheese or leave it out altogether. You can serve this on its own as a meatless meal, pair it with some simply cooked meat or fish, such as Sue Li’s strip steak with Dijon sauce, or double down on the buttery goodness with pan-roasted fish fillets with herb butter. Don’t overthink it, though: They’re all winners. Now, if you’ve got a hankering for seafood, you might consider Zainab Shah’s baked tamarind fish and let these aromatic and zingy fillets electrify your weeknight dinner. This speedy recipe owes its impressive depth to tamarind concentrate, which is common in South Asian, Southeast Asian and Mexican cooking. Rounded out with a little palm or brown sugar and sparked by chile powder, it’s an ebullient concoction that practically begs for a bed of rice to infuse with its lovely, lively sauce. If this leaves you with leftover rice, you could hardly do better than simmering it into an exquisite, glossy porridge. Hetty “Ms. Congee-niality” Lui McKinnon’s butternut squash congee with chile oil balances rice’s gentle sweetness with a hot blast of chile. Using cooked rice makes this recipe faster than traditional versions, and the winter squash adds colorful autumnal flair. Got kombu? Throw some into the pot for an additional savory note, finishing with some bright grated ginger FTW! If you’re looking for your weekly chicken fix, we’ve got a snazzy one from Ali Slagle. Her sheet-pan roasted chicken with greens is quick and clever. Just lay some hardy greens, like kale or broccoli rabe, on a sheet pan, drizzle them with oil, then top with chile flakes, smashed whole garlic cloves and a spatchcocked chicken (or bone-in chicken parts). Add a little water to the bottom of the pan, pop it all in the oven, and voilà, a golden-skinned roasted bird with greens that are soft, succulent and schmaltzy under the chicken, and crisp and chip-like at the edges of the pan. Serve with something to soak up the pan juices (mashed potatoes, noodles, a baguette), and you’ve got a deluxe winner of a chicken dinner. For a dessert apropos to PSL season, Samantha Seneviratne’s pumpkin cookies have the soft, moist texture and warm cinnamon scent of pumpkin bread, but in finger-food form. Packed in a lunchbox, these autumnal treats will delight on-the-go adults and children alike; really anyone in need of some sweet succor. And who isn’t in need of that? Of course, you’ll want to subscribe to get these and all of our other tens of thousands of smart recipes (and thanks to all of you who have already subscribed!). If you slam into any technical issues, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com for help. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That’s all for now, I’ll see you on Wednesday.
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