Sally Pasley Vargas

3 days ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Earlier this month at the James Beard awards in Chicago, first-time author and blogger Carolina Gelen received a medal for ''Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes'' (Clarkson Potter). The book chronicles her life and memories in the kitchen, told through stories and recipes such as cabbage rolls baked in layers in a casserole, the Perfect Chocolate Cake (true to its name), and a chicken schnitzel with caramelized lemon gremolata.

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

A trio of ginger makes friends in these spicy, crispy, buttery, chewy cookies. The dough is mixed with ground ginger, candied ginger, and fresh ginger, along with a pinch of ground cloves and a little molasses. If you have more fresh ginger than you can use right away, keep it in the freezer to slice or dice for another recipe. A Microplane grater turns a knob of frozen ginger into tiny flakes with ease.

2 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Wraps are common at almost every lunch counter, but you'll embark on a whole new flavor adventure when you create your own at home. This wrap, inside lavash or large flour tortillas, holds creamy hummus, a Greek salad, and golden halloumi cheese. Halloumi is a semi-hard, salty, and tangy cheese originally made in Cyprus from sheep's milk, now made all over the Eastern Mediterranean with sheep, cow, and goat's milk.

3 weeks ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Caesar Salad with Tahini DressingSally Pasley Vargas for The Boston GlobeGive the all-time favorite Caesar salad a Mediterranean twist with a tahini dressing and crunchy pita croutons. This is a knife and fork kind of salad, with large, crisp leaves of romaine hearts coated in a dressing made with plenty of all the things we love about a Caesar salad. Lemon, anchovies, and garlic turn creamy when buzzed in a food processor with tahini, yogurt, and Parmesan.

1 month ago | bostonglobe.com | Sally Pasley Vargas

Cook chicken thighs on the stovetop in a cast-iron pan to give them a pleasant char, and you don't need to light the grill. Tuck them inside ciabatta or another crusty roll and they're festive enough for a picnic or an indoor celebration. First marinate the thighs in yogurt or sour cream (the lactic acid tenderizes the meat) with chopped chipotle chiles. Chipotles are canned smoked jalapenos that come packed in a spicy adobo sauce.