Here's a recipe that can easily work both as a party-worthy appetizer or as a light supper, perhaps served with a salad dressed in a sharp, mustardy vinaigrette. The sweet caramelized onions, sharp goat cheese and pungent fresh basil work together beautifully, especially when supported by a crisp but chewy flatbread. More

Tuna salad, chicken salad, and egg salad are staples in my house, and they are almost always made better with melted cheese. (The first time I tasted an "egg salad melt" — just recently — was a revelation!) I usually throw any one of these together as a dinner afterthought, until it dawned on me that they could use some special attention. The classic tuna melt was first in line for a makeover, with homemade olive oil mayonnaise and salty Parmesan taking it from good to great!

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I have absolutely zero interest in football, so for me, the annual gathering of friends on Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food. The spread always includes a few of the grubby, nostalgic snacks we grew up with — cheesy queso dip, I'm looking at you — as well as some fresher, lighter snacks that often incorporate flavors from one of the many international cuisines that surround us here in Los Angeles. You're looking at my contribution this year: a Korean take on the usual pulled-meat slider, a juicy sandwich loaded with gingery, chile-spiked shredded chicken and tender kale braised with garlicky kimchi.

For many of us, sandwiches are seen as a quick lunch, something that can be thrown together with a few dibs and dabs of whatever we may have laying around in the fridge. A quick slather of mayonnaise, a few pieces of salami, a slice of cheese, and lunch is complete. Perhaps a can of tuna is more your style. Or maybe you're an impromptu egg salad kind of guy or gal. Well, Mark Bittman would like to remind us all that it can get a bit more exciting. More

Bread has a bad reputation these days, but that doesn't mean we should overlook one of its most irresistible forms: toast! Whole wheat or brioche, sourdough or seeded, a slice of toasted bread is a base for all kinds of toppings that make a light yet satisfying meal any time of the day. If you're looking for some fresh inspiration, check out these 10 recipes, which top toast with combinations like sweet citrus butter, herbed goat cheese and smoked salmon, Stilton and pickled pears, and more. More

I spent three days of my holiday break on a quest to make the perfect French onion soup, beginning from scratch with the beef stock. And while it was incredible, it is not very often that I have the time or energy to really put that much effort into dinner. I decided there must be an easier way, and as it turns out, there is! Basically, I seem to prefer my soup in sandwich-form.

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Creamy tomato soup, crisp grilled cheese. Is that the quintessential winter lunch or what? Do like to dip your grilled cheese sandwich right into the soup? I do. It takes me right back to childhood. Are there other soup and sandwich combos that you love to eat? Maybe you have a soup and sandwich pair you love, even if it can't beat tomato soup and grilled cheese for sheer nostalgic value. What is it? What soups and sandwiches just belong together? More

Beans and grains, we love you in veggie burgers, but we're asking you to take a backseat for this one. Like their namesake, the star ingredients in these 10 recipes are all vegetables. From beets to micro sprouts, broccoli to corn, your veggie burger just got a lot more colorful and garden-friendly. More

There's something so simplistic about a plain old turkey wrap dunked in homemade honey mustard. Still, these lowly sandwiches got me through college, and they even made an appearance at my recent engagement party. (What can I say, I know what I like.) For some reason, they never get old. More

Egg salad is a terrific quick and inexpensive meal. Here are 10 new takes on this classic for when you want to spice it up a little: More