Recipe Sifter

Greek lamb baked with orzo pasta in tomato sauce with cinnamon and cloves. The orzo absorbs all those rich, spiced pan juices.

Lentejas en Adobo: Mexican lentils with pork, ancho chilies, sweet plantain, and pineapple. A traditional sweet-savory Oaxacan adobo stew with deep fruit and spice.

Flaky filo pastry rolled around a rich tomato, mushroom, and roasted cashew filling with red wine and basil. A savory vegetarian strudel that steals the show at Christmas dinner.

Hong Kong pork stew is a slow-cooker sweet and sour pork dish with pineapple, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and green peppers. Tender pork shoulder simmers all day in a tangy molasses-pineapple sauce.

Hearty lentils simmered with bell peppers, hot chilies, and fresh tomatoes in Middle Eastern spices. Healthy vegetarian main or side served hot or cold.

Copycat Chili's chicken enchilada soup thickened with masa harina and loaded with cubed chicken, crushed tomatoes, and melted American cheese. A big-batch Tex-Mex soup that feeds a crowd.

Cajun chicken wings gumbo with ground beef, crispy bacon, tomatoes, lima beans, and corn simmered with thyme, allspice, and cayenne. Ladle it over steamed rice for a hearty bowl.

Crustless tuna and cheddar pie that makes its own base from Bisquick, eggs, and milk. Topped with tomato slices and melted cheese. A one-dish dinner with no rolling or crimping.

Plain basic chili, a Texas-style chili con carne made with cubed beef, not ground, simmered low in chili powder, beef broth, and crushed tomatoes until fork-tender. No beans, no filler, just rich, beefy chili.

Bulgar has the same kind of texture and looking as ground beef, without fat; lentils provide the protein, also there is lots of fibre in this recipe, definitely a nutritious and delicious vegetarian shepherd's pie!

Pork minestrone soup with cannellini beans, sweet potato, regular potato, and Italian-herb tomatoes in beef broth. A hearty 30-minute one-pot soup topped with Parmesan.

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.

Kosher cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef, rice, and ketchup, baked for three hours in a sweet-tart tomato sauce with brown sugar and lemon juice.

Beef and barley stew bakes in one casserole with ground beef, pearl barley, tomatoes, water chestnuts, and frozen mixed vegetables. Hearty, hands-off oven dinner.

Tangy cabbage relish simmered in red wine vinegar with tomatoes, Dijon mustard, turmeric, and warm spices. Makes ahead beautifully and keeps for 5 days.

Bacon-laced venison stew with potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh peas, thickened with a flour roux and simmered until the wild game is spoon-tender. Serve with buttered corn muffins for a hunter's feast.