Recipe Sifter

German-style potato salad with boiled potatoes, diced apple, onion, dill relish, and hard-boiled eggs in a creamy mustard-mayo dressing. A cold, make-ahead Kartoffelsalat.

Applesauce carrot and raisin bread is a butter-free quickbread sweetened with applesauce, lifted with cinnamon and shredded carrot, and studded with golden raisins.

Roasted potato and surimi salad: red potatoes roasted hot with garlic, then tossed with imitation crab, hard-boiled eggs, and a dilled mayo-yogurt dressing. A lighter upgrade to classic potato salad.

Chocolate oatmeal pie with coconut, rolled oats, and chocolate chips in a corn syrup custard, baked in a press-in oil crust. A chewy, fudgy Southern-style pie with crunchy texture.

A silky tofu cheesecake blending pureed silken tofu with cream cheese on an almond graham cracker crust. Lighter than traditional cheesecake but impossibly creamy after an overnight chill.

Lamb curry marinated overnight with garam masala, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic, then simmered in lamb stock and finished with yogurt and lemon. Served on basmati rice with toasted cashews and golden sultanas. Mild, fragrant, family-friendly.

Hearty fish soup loaded with haddock, cod, scallops, shrimp, and clams in a tomato broth with garlic, oregano, and bay leaves. A cioppino-style seafood stew.

Apple cream cheese coffeecake with a tender almond-scented crumb and cinnamon-sugar apples baked right on top. The cream cheese in the batter keeps every slice moist for days.

Vegetarian gumbo with black-eyed peas, okra, corn, tomatoes, and the holy trinity in a homemade vegetable stock. A plant-based bayou bowl ready to ladle over cornbread.

Cajun-style fried hand pies stuffed with ground pork and beef, onions, green onions, parsley, and a kick of red pepper. Crimped pastry pockets fried golden and crisp.

Teriyaki-marinated chicken stir-fried with rice, sesame seeds, walnuts, and fresh orange and lemon segments. A quick Japanese-inspired weeknight dinner with sweet citrus and savory umami in every bite.

Red potato salad with hard-boiled eggs, diced apple, sweet relish, spicy mustard, and dill. A colorful Valentine's Day side dish with red-skinned potatoes and a creamy dressing.

Dominican red beans and rice (habichuelas con arroz), small red beans simmered with cumin, garlic, a touch of sugar, and vinegar, spooned over fluffy rice. A naturally vegan plate, great with avocado and plantains.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

Sauteed rabbit loin brined then braised with fennel, balsamic vinegar, and white wine, finished with a vibrant salsa verde of parsley, capers, spinach, and fennel fronds.

In other parts of Central Asia this dish is made with red beans and I have it made with beef, horse, camel, chicken, and venison for the meat instead of the lamb. It is excellent anyway it comes.