Recipe Sifter

Mediterranean broccoli and cauliflower salad tosses quickly steamed florets with a lemon-oregano dressing, Kalamata olives, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. A bright, make-ahead side that holds in the fridge for days.

Chicken breasts marinated overnight in vermouth, dried apricots, and prunes, then baked with sweet potato cubes until tender and caramelized. A low-fat, fruit-forward dinner that practically cooks itself.

Cuban-style picadillo with capers, pimento-stuffed olives, burgundy wine, and a touch of nutmeg. Ground beef braised in a savory-sweet sofrito. Serve over rice with plantains.

Sweet, sour and salty chunks of beef roast just melted in my mouth. The spices added just right amount of yumminess. The sauce was so flavourful too. My plate was clean in the end, because I couldn't leave anything behind. Yum!

Soysage, a homemade vegetarian sausage steamed in a can from whole wheat, wheat germ, and nutritional yeast, seasoned with fennel, garlic, and cayenne, then sliced and fried crisp. A meat-free breakfast classic.

Cornish game hens stewed in fruit and sugar -- I originally got this recipe from the Sunday magazine of the local paper. I served it last year for Christmas dinner, and it's very good. What's more, this recipe is easy: you just put everything in a bowl, marinate overnight, then bake until done!

Meatless farmer's chili with kidney beans, zucchini, corn, carrots, and bulgur wheat in a cumin-chili tomato broth. Hearty, crunchy, and better the next day.

Spicy beef carbonade braises sirloin or stewing beef in red wine and beef stock with bacon, garlic, chili powder and a hit of habanero. A Belgian-meets-Tex-Mex riff on the classic carbonade flamande.

Chicken Marbella, the legendary Silver Palate dish, marinates chicken overnight with prunes, green olives, capers, garlic, and oregano, then bakes in white wine and brown sugar. The ultimate sweet-savory make-ahead dinner party centerpiece.

Pat's Shrimp Creole with a two-stage sauce: the first vegetables simmer into the tomato base for 45 minutes then get strained out, and fresh aromatics with brown sugar finish the dish. Serves 8 over rice.

Hearty vegetarian chili with meatless crumbles, dried apricots, and warm spices, simmered in beer and tomato sauce for a sweet-savory twist on classic chili.

Homemade pizza sauce simmers tomato paste, garlic, oregano, marjoram and basil into a thick, glossy sauce that holds its shape under cheese. Makes enough for four 12-inch pies.

Australian outback chili made with kangaroo meat, emu ham, and bacon simmered in beer with Tasmanian chilies. A wild game chili unlike anything you've tasted before.

Hearty three-bean chili con carne with lean beef, roasted peppers, and warm spices for crowd-pleasing game day dinners that serve 12 from one pot.

Lentil pasta soup with orzo, Italian green beans, tomatoes, and four dried herbs in a chicken broth base. A hearty one-pot soup finished with vinegar and croutons.

Fruit Cornish hens: classic Chicken Marbella scaled up for small birds. Cornish hens marinated with garlic, oregano, prunes, apricots, green olives, and capers, then roasted until golden with brown sugar glaze.