Recipe Sifter

Bruschetta with chopped tomato salad featuring red and yellow bell peppers, capers, fresh basil, and balsamic vinegar. Low-fat, no oil, served as a mound alongside garlic-rubbed toast.

Stuffed squid in saffron sauce: whole squid bodies filled with chopped tentacles, smoked ham, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs, then braised in a saffron-tomato-white wine sauce. Spanish-Italian dinner-party seafood.

Chili taco salad: spicy chicken chili with kidney beans and chickpeas piled on tortilla chips with lettuce, tomato, jack cheese, sour cream, olives, and jalapenos.

Italian bean and pasta salad with anasazi beans, spinach spaghetti, fresh vegetables, and a lemon-herb dressing. A no-cook, protein-packed side that improves as it chills.

Skillet fettuccine pie with seasoned beef sauce on the bottom and a Parmesan-egg-noodle crust on top. Pan-flipped onto a platter for a stovetop one-pan dinner.

Vegetarian chili with bulgur wheat, kidney beans, chickpeas, and a hearty veggie base. Vegan, protein-packed, and meatier in texture than most plant-based chilis.

Pounded round steak dredged in flour, browned crisp, then simmered in crushed tomatoes with oregano, garlic, and a hint of dry mustard. Fork-tender Sicilian comfort food.

Greek beef pita with red wine-marinated flank steak seared in butter, stuffed into warm pita with yogurt, cucumber, lettuce, and tomatoes. Build-your-own style.

Cozy lentil and brown rice soup with diced tomatoes, carrots, garlic, and Italian herbs simmered into a thick, hearty one-pot meal. Gluten-free, low-fat comfort that gets better the next day.

Monkfish chili with kidney beans, bell peppers, and a bold spice blend of cumin, cayenne, and Cajun seafood seasoning. A seafood twist on classic chili with real depth.

Spinach lasagne with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and fresh wilted spinach folded into a three-cheese filling. A vegetarian Italian lasagna with no jarred sauce needed.

Pasta and kidney bean soup is a quick Italian pasta e fagioli style soup with rosamarina (orzo), canned tomatoes, red kidney beans, oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Smoky black bean chili pulls together canned black beans, tomatoes, and salsa with chili powder, oregano, and a splash of liquid smoke. A fast vegetarian chili ready in under 30 minutes.

Fresh tomato salsa with jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and lime. Basically classic pico de gallo with a sharp Mexican kick, ready blender-free in about 15 minutes.

Italian-American spaghetti and meatballs with a three-meat blend (beef, pork, veal), a slow-simmered tomato sauce with red wine, and parmesan-bread crumb meatballs browned then finished in sauce.

Halibut steaks Marengo with a rich tomato-mushroom sauce, Greek olives, and a parsley-garlic-lemon gremolata. A classic French-inspired fish dish thickened with beurre manie.