EXPRESS LANE : ON THE TABLE IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS.

Serve these prawns with cooked noodles, Chinese pea pods or french-cut green beans and a tossed green salad with orange and red onion slices for a colorful, quick meal.

LEMONY PRAWNS

1 pound medium prawns, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil 

1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh savory

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley 

Prepare prawns. Place on a plate lined with several paper towels and let drain in refrigerator 15 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, add bell pepper and saute 4 minutes. Add garlic and savory; saute 1 minute. Remove from skillet.

Put prawns into skillet and saute until pink, curled and cooked through. Return red pepper back to skillet, adding 2 teaspoons olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir 30 seconds and serve. Makes 4 servings.

EXPRESS TO GO

DAN'S SUPER SUBS: 22446 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; [phone].

A friend recommended this place, noting that her children frequent it often because the food is fresh, tasty and a good value. Quality and abundance are Dan's benchmarks.

Dan's vast menu offers 28 sub sandwiches with such items as ham, roast beef, pastrami, corned beef, Italian cold cuts, cheeses and more (regular size sandwiches - 8 inches long - are $3.56; jumbo size - 12 inches long - are $5.91). They come with the works (mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onions, kosher pickles and Dan's own Italian sauce) or any way you like them. Four special subs are also available - meatballs and cheese, barbecued brisket of beef and cheese, albacore tuna and chicken breast salad (regular size $4.25; jumbo size $6.33). Another option is Dan's Club Sub with bacon, turkey, ham and cheese (regular size $3.99; jumbo size $6.90) as well as these special subs - lean roast beef Italiano and cheese, pepperoni Italiano and cheese, peppered turkey breast and cheese and mesquite-smoked turkey breast and cheese (regular size $3.99; jumbo size $5.99). Many of these sandwiches can be also ordered hot. If you want more of anything on your sub, extra meat is 92 cents, extra cheese is 42 cents and bacon is 50 cents for the regular size. For the large size, extra meat is $1.49, extra cheese is 75 cents and bacon is 99 cents.

Dan's uses homemade soft Italian rolls made daily and meats and cheeses that are sliced daily.

After perusing the mind-boggling array of choices, we tried two regular-size subs with everything but mayonnaise - all white meat turkey breast (98 percent fat free) ($3.56) and pastrami and cheese ($3.56). We also sampled the Italian cold cuts and cheese salad ($3.56) and a small serving of coleslaw (69 cents).

The regular-size subs were large and packed with meats and cheese. The pastrami was really lean and flavorful, as was the turkey - and the sandwiches had plenty of fresh diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce.

Dan's salads come with plenty of lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and Italian or buttermilk dressing on the side. Salad choices include tuna salad ($4.25); chicken salad ($4.25); ham, turkey and cheese ($3.56); smoked turkey and cheese salad ($3.99); peppered turkey and cheese salad ($3.56); and green dinner salad ($2.50).

The cold-cut salad we tried came with plenty of assorted cold cuts and cheese slices and lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles - and it was large enough for two. The buttermilk dressing was flavorful and delicious, but the Italian dressing was bland, lacked seasonings and added nothing to the salad (avoid it). The coleslaw, with its creamy dressing, was excellent.

Dan's also offers side orders of potato salad and macaroni salad at $1.99 a pint, which will feed four, or in a single-serving size at 69 cents.

If you are planning a party, Dan's offers a catering menu (and delivery) of party subs, sub sandwich platters and sides.

You can dine inside or out on the premises (the area is small), but you need to place your order at the counter first.

Dan's offers good value and good-tasting, quality food. Check it out for lunch or dinner soon. And keep this place in mind during the hectic holiday season when you need to pick up a quick bite to eat.