Fresh and Fast : Inspired Cooking for Every Season and Every Day

Fresh food is more convenient than packaged,' Marie Simmons says, and luckily for us, she provides more than 200 recipes to prove her point. In this book-Simmons' most ambitious to date-you'll see why her recipes, regularly featured in Bon Appetit, Woman's Day and Ladies' Home Journal, have become favorites with millions of cooks across the country. Whether it's Warm Egg Salad on Whole Wheat Toast or Lemon Basil Chicken, each is deftly simple, yet freshly conceived and imaginative. Most can be made in less than 45 minutes. Each recipe tells exactly how long it will take to prepare and alerts you in advance about any steps that require a little extra time. By following the inspirations of the seasons, Simmons shows how to vary your menu with dishes like Crisp-Fried Soft-Shell Crabs in spring, Roasted Tomato and Fresh Corn Soup in summer and Orange Baked Squash in fall. Ready in 45 minutes or less: Lemon Basil Chicken, Warm New Potato Salad with Scallions, Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Pork Tenderloin Marinated in Soy and Orange, Sesame Brown Rice Pilaf, Spicy Marinated Shrimp, Easy Oven-Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Black Bean and Vegetable Burrito, Stir-Fry of Cabbages with Asian Flavors, Grandpa's Peaches in Red Wine, and Apple and Ginger Crisp.

MARIE SIMMONS, a popular cooking teacher and author who has won both a James Beard Award and a Julia Child Award, is the culinary director of Copia, a food and wine cultural center in Napa, California. She is a frequent contributor to Cooking Light, Prevention, Cottage Living, and Eating Well. Her books include Fresh & Fast, The Light Touch Cookbook, Rice: The Amazing Grain, Lighter Quicker Better, and 365 Ways to Cook Pasta.