Recipe Sifter

Italian vegetable ragout simmers potatoes, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Swiss chard, zucchini, and chickpeas in a marjoram-scented tomato base. A hearty meatless main over whole wheat pasta or brown rice.

A spiced carrot cake made ultra-moist with applesauce, packed with shredded carrots, golden raisins, and walnuts. Bake it in a tube pan or 9x13 for a crowd-pleasing cake that keeps for days.

Hearty bran bread for the bread machine with whole wheat flour, wheat germ, applesauce, and sesame seeds. Load it up, press start, and let the machine do the work.

Chewy oat crumble bars layered with a thick, glossy blueberry filling brightened with lemon juice. A nutty brown sugar base does double duty as the topping. Makes 15 bars.

Corn ham chowder, a creamy weeknight chowder of cubed ham, potatoes, canned corn, and milk. Five ingredients beyond pantry staples, ready in 40 minutes, perfect for using up leftover holiday ham.

Mexican pasta pie layered with ziti, taco-seasoned tomatoes, black beans, chicken, ricotta, and cheddar. A baked casserole that combines pasta night with taco night in one dish.

No-bake coconut bon-bons loaded with pecans and sweetened condensed milk, dipped in a glossy chocolate shell. A classic holiday candy that's simple to make and even harder to stop eating. Makes 2 dozen.

Fluffy quinoa tossed with black beans, ripe tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro in a zesty lime-butter dressing. High-fiber, vegetarian, and packed with protein. Great as a side or a light main.

Soft maple walnut oatmeal cookies with brown sugar and cinnamon, topped with maple-flavored frosting and a walnut half. Chewy, sweet, and warmly spiced.

Greek briam-style vegetable casserole with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes baked in olive oil. A rustic Mediterranean bake served with feta and bread.

Pecan and red onion bread made in a bread machine or by hand. Savory yeast bread with chopped nuts and sweet onion baked into a soft, buttery crumb.

Whole-wheat snickerdoodles sweetened with pure maple syrup and rolled in cinnamon sugar. A nuttier, more wholesome take on the classic crackle-topped cinnamon cookie.

A smoky Mexican-style chicken soup with garbanzos, rice, and chipotle pepper, topped with creamy avocado and melted cheese. Warm, spicy, and ready in 30 minutes.

Finnish pecan balls (Finnish snowballs) made with butter, cake flour, and toasted pecans, rolled twice in powdered sugar for a melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookie.

Pumpkin crunch with a spiced pumpkin custard base topped with dry yellow cake mix, chopped pecans, and drizzled melted margarine. A dump cake with a crunchy, buttery top.

Bourekakia - Greek honey nut rolls in phyllo dough with cinnamon, orange zest, and a hot honey-lemon syrup. Crispy, buttery pastry spirals soaked in sweet syrup like baklava.