Long beans are traditionally used in this recipe, but green beans work as well. Feel free to omit the ground chicken as well for a vegetarian version. Last but not least, make sure your beans are completely dry before frying them — this will ensure a blistered texture.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or chili bean sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 pound green beans or long beans, ends trimmed and cut into 3-inch lengths

1. Marinate the chicken: stir 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and cornstarch together in a medium bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved. Mix the chicken in the marinade until incorporated. Let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: stir the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.

3 Pour the oil into a 2-quart saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Carefully slip the green beans into the oil and cook, stirring continuously, until they are wrinkled, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to paper towels to drain. Reserve the oil.

4. Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Pour in 2 teaspoons of the reserved oil and swirl to coat the sides. Slide the chicken into the wok and stir-fry until the meat is crumbly and changes color, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and sauce and stir until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop the contents of the wok onto a serving plate and serve warm.

Think of it more as an indulgent snack than a meal. Adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe, these addictive fritters are best eaten fresh. They’re easy to make, too — perfect for that post-workout reward.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 dried red chili, crumbled
7 ounces spaghetti
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Place all your ingredients, apart from the spaghetti and olive oil, into a bowl and mix. Meanwhile, add spaghetti to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool it down. Once the pasta is cool, snip it with scissors into pieces roughly 4 inches long and add them to the bowl. Mix well.

2. Pour a few tablespoons oil into a pan and place over medium-high heat. Using a fork, add piles of the spaghetti mixture to the pan and fry until golden and crisp on both sides. Serve warm.

This Middle Eastern-style pizza takes only a few minutes to assemble, and it’s health-conscious too. I prefer using roasted garlic hummus as the base, and I pre-soak my feta cubes in olive oil flecked with oregano and red pepper flakes for a hit of extra flavor. Feel free to experiment — this recipe can be endlessly customized.

Ingredients:

1 cup hummus, preferably roasted garlic
1/2 tomato, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough
all-purpose flour
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, roll out dough to a 10-inch round on a lightly-floured working surface. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled baking sheet.

2. Spread hummus on pizza dough and top with tomato, olives, and feta. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the oven, or until crust is golden.

3. Sprinkle pizza with parsley, drizzle with olive oil, and serve warm.

Adapted from Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, this wintery dish is a snap to create and makes a great side. The original recipe uses slab bacon but if you’re cutting down on the fat, use a mixture of turkey bacon and butter, as I did.

Ingredients:

4 slices turkey bacon, chopped into a 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons butter
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut in half, then chopped into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 garlic clove, minced
4 sprigs of flat parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the butter until melted. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the meat is crispy, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, stirring and tossing frequently. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then season with parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.

I know, I know, breakfast burritos are so 1990s. But they’re also tasty, filling and easy to assemble. The first time I made these, I used Spanish chorizo. That’ll do just fine, but I recommend Mexican chorizo, as its crumbly texture will lend itself better to the filling.

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
4 flour tortillas
8 ounces chorizo, preferably Mexican, casings removed
4 eggs
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup fresh salsa

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut 4 large sheets of foil. Cook potato in a pot of salted boiling water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

2. Wrap tortillas in a large sheet of foil and warm in oven until heated through, 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook chorizo in an skillet over medium heat, stirring and breaking it up, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add potato and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Whisk together eggs, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring to scramble, until just cooked through. Remove from heat.

5. Place a tortilla on plate. Spoon one fourth of chorizo mixture, one fourth of eggs, one fourth of cheese, one fourth of avocado, and then salsa to taste in rows across center, leaving room to fold over. Fold bottom of tortilla over most of filling, then fold over sides, overlapping them. Make 3 more burritos in same manner and serve warm.