Salsa! mainly cos it doesn't require cooking on hot days.

The first one is one I usually make as a "mild" ingredient. It's an integral part of my hanger steak tacos, which I make spicy so they don't need more heat. It's also great for picnics or situations where you have finicky eaters who don't like spice. You can also double/triple the recipe at whim and use it as a relish, dip, side or cold salad if you so choose:

black bean/corn salsa:
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1/4 cup minced sweet onion (vidalia or texas, don't use red it's too bitter)
1-2 large cloves garlic, mashed thru a press
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Juice of 1/2 fresh lime
salt (to taste, tho canned veg are pretty salty)
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro (optional I guess, but not in my household)
Truly optional: 1 fresh serrano pepper, seeded, pith removed, and VERY finely minced, but only if you want more heat.

Stir all ingredients together, let stand or refrigerate for ~ 1 hour to meld.

Classic Red Salsa:
Put the following in a large food processor:
1 quart good quality chopped tomatoes. word: do. not. EVER. use those gadawful supermarket ones, use good quality canned if you must.
4-6 large cloves garlic, mashed thru a press
Juice of one whole lime
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 large bunch fresh cilantro (NOT optional in my household, sorry)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 fresh serrano pepper, seeded, de-pithed, fairly small dice so it distributes evenly
1 teaspoon salt (your pref, the mister and I are saltaphiles; I use sea salt btw)

Now pulse the food processor until everything's pretty well blended but DON'T over-process or it'll go all pink and foamy (ew). Correct the seasonings as necessary - I will typically go back and add more chili, cumin or salt to balance it.

Decant, let stand or refrigerate for ~1 hour to meld. Enjoy!

Cilantro is ALWAYS optional. *glares*

So, the essence of salsa is tomatoes, onion and hot peppers, chopped together, and chilled. I'm going for the minimum that defines the dish.

don't forget garlic.

The acid is part of the minimum defining characteristics too. You need the lime juice (or lemon or maybe a splash of red wine vinegar if you're in a bind(?), but it's nothing without the acid).

I should have followed your philosophy for my chili, Ardiril. Something's not playing nice with something else in there.

Ardiril, you are the only person aside from my mother, her sisters, and their mother I have ever heard use "hamburg" to mean hamburger/ground beef.

The essential chocolate-chip cookie ingredients are: flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate, fat. Leavening, too, I'm thinking, though I guess it's arguable--ditto salt and vanilla, right?

Pancakes: flour, egg, milk. Everything else is an add-on.

God, I haven't had meatloaf in (literally) decades. I was going to make one for the bf recently but got hung up on whether I should make a boiled egg middle or not, and didn't in the end.

How about scotch eggs? I'd never deep fry them as I don't ever use that much oil in cooking, especially deep frying which really isn't good for you. They can be baked and they're really nice. Elizard made 'em once in the winter and they're perfect with steamed veggies for cold days. You could probably use any type of meat to wrap the eggs in and it'd be fine. It's rare (like 3 times a year) I'll eat that much flesh, but once in a while it's necessary.
Southern cooking. Epicurious 1, 2.

I'm sure it'd take work, but you could make a vegetarian version using textured soy protein. You'd have to find some way of getting the soy to the same sticky texture of the meats used in the above recipes. Flavouring's easy: soak the soy in a veggie broth with Worcestershire sauce, sage, oregano, salt, pepper and other very "earthy" spices. After an hour (or preferably more to allow all the spices to blend) the soy's soaked up all the goodness and has a deep flavour like spiced meat. If you fry it like ground beef, it takes on the same texture as the beef and can be used in place of it in stews and chilies. I'll have to think on how to get it sticky. Maybe I'll try that this weekend.