Salad recipes

Gado gado is the Indonesian salad of stir-fried cabbage, bell pepper, and bean sprouts drizzled with a warm peanut sauce spiked with garlic, shallot, cumin, and lemon. Vegetarian one-bowl meal.

German Hackbraten (Falscher Hase) meatloaf recipe made with ground beef and pork, roasted with onions, garlic and yellow turnip until the crust turns deeply golden. A traditional oven-roasted meatloaf sliced and served with its own pan juices over potato salad.

Here is a kind of throw together recipe I came up with: If you are entertaining you can garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a caesar salad, garlic bread and a nice chablis. The vegetables can vary. I've used mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower etc. Grouper works well with this because it has a lot of flavor. I've used fresh tuna and halibut but prefer grouper.

Oxtail is one of the most economical and most flavorful cuts of meat, and one that takes well to marinating for days in a hearty mixture of red wine, herbs, and vegetables. The longer you marinate the mixture, the more flavorful it will be, but be sure it marinates at least 3 days. Oxtail is also a fatty cut -- give yourself plenty of time to allow the stew to cook and then cool, so all the fat can be skimmed off. Serve this with thick noodles in warmed soup bowls, accompanied by a tossed salad, and of course, a robust red wine.

Unsloppy Joes are vegetarian sloppy joes with kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, and diced vegetables served in hollowed-out kaiser rolls. Low-fat, hearty, and mess-free.

Browned SPAM cubes with carrots, green beans, tomatoes, and celery in a thyme-seasoned sauce, topped with sliced potatoes broiled golden. This hearty one-skillet casserole is a complete meal in about an hour.

Chicken goulash with ground chicken breast, paprika, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and brown sugar over egg noodles. A lighter take on classic goulash ready in 35 minutes.

Baked mostaccioli and ground turkey casserole layered with tomato sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a light bechamel topped with mozzarella. Greek pastitsio meets weeknight dinner.

Greek garbanzo bean soup with kidney beans, tomato sauce, and vegetables sauteed in broth instead of oil. Half-pureed for a thick, hearty texture that's naturally low in fat.

Black-eyed pea cakes with smoky adobo cream and melty Monterey Jack. An 18-minute vegetarian main that fries up crisp on the outside with a tender, cumin-spiced center.

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, Parmesan, and egg, baked in a homemade basil tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella. Classic Italian comfort food.

San Antonio chile verde with simmered chicken breast, green chiles, tomatoes, and cumin. A Tex-Mex stew brightened with cilantro and a surprising splash of soy sauce for depth.

Hearty Brazilian black bean and beef casserole simmered with stewed tomatoes, garlic, and a hint of orange zest. A one-pot comfort meal that feeds a crowd and thickens into rich, spoonable goodness.

Lentil stew Creole with okra, green beans, tomatoes, and green pepper served over brown rice. A plant-based Southern-style stew with a Tabasco kick and no added fat.

This is a great recipe- very light and a great dish for a veggie night!

Spiced shrimp and zucchini simmered in a chili-cumin tomato sauce, then topped with golden drop cornbread and baked until bubbling. A one-pan dinner that feeds a crowd.