Cook This Book: Twenty Dollar, Twenty Minute Meals

If you are new to cooking, or you’re just tired of surfing the Internet for recipes that work and sound delicious. author Caroline Wright has a new book you should know about: Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals*: *For Four People (Workman publishing, $12.95) promises fresh, quick recipes that allow almost anyone to turn out a meal for four people in 20 minutes for less than $20. Happily, Wight delivers on that promise.

I like the way she presents her recipes – in a narrative form, with the ingredients highlighted in yellow – sprinkled with helpful hints to cut corners or make seasonal substitutions. Summery recipes like Murguez burgers with cucumber dressing sound interesting and taste even better.

Pick up some fresh pizza dough tonight, because you should give her cast iron pan pizza with pesto, mozzarella, and salami a try.

And if you’re looking for new ways to be Vegan Before Six, you’d be hard-pressed to find something better then Write’s simple recipe for fried eggplant with whipped tahini sauce, mint, and chiles.