Recipe Sifter

Homemade citrus Dijon mustard with fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice, honey, and grated zest. Four ingredients, no cooking, ages for two weeks then refrigerate.

Lemon orzo pilaf is a five-ingredient one-pot side of rice-shaped pasta simmered in chicken broth with basil and lemon zest. Ready in 30 minutes. Bright, simple weeknight starch.

Layered red lentil and spinach casserole topped with sliced tomatoes and baked under nonfat yogurt. A high-protein vegetarian main dish with just five ingredients.

Lentil rice casserole baked with canned tomatoes, dill, and a bread crumb crust. A hearty, low-fat vegan bake with pantry staples and no added oil.

Homemade raspberry liqueur made with fresh berries, sugar syrup, and grain alcohol. A French-style framboise that ages for weeks into a beautifully clear, fruity spirit.

Individual baked chocolate fig puddings with cocoa, stewed California figs, and vanilla, topped warm with marshmallows and walnut halves. A vintage dessert with old-fashioned charm.

Little snow people cookies: holiday snowman cookies shaped from festive dough with three stacked balls, decorated with mini chocolate chip eyes, cinnamon candy buttons, and peanut butter cup hats.

Liz and Tom's crab boil: hard-shell crabs steamed over a citrus-and-spice broth with potatoes, corn on the cob, bay, and galangal. A summer seafood feast built for a crowd.

Loaded potato cheese soup with broccoli, celery, carrots, ham, and sharp cheddar spread. A creamy weeknight one-pot soup ready in 40 minutes.

Low-cal pumpkin pie skips eggs, butter, and traditional crust. Sugar-free pudding mix and skim milk thicken the spiced pumpkin filling over a thin water-bound graham crumb base. Diabetic-friendly.

Filipino lumpia filled with seasoned pork, shrimp, dried mushrooms, and water chestnuts, fried golden and crispy. Served with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

A delicious marsala recipe made with shredded zucchini, spinach and banana peppers. Tastes great when served over basmati rice.

Ma-la cucumber fans with Szechuan peppercorns, chili flakes, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. A numbing-spicy Chinese cold appetizer with an elegant fan cut.

Microwave mackerel fillets topped with a cool yogurt-cucumber-dill sauce inspired by gyro tzatziki. A quick, healthy fish dinner ready in 20 minutes.

Madeira gravy made from turkey pan drippings, reduced Madeira wine, chicken broth, and thyme. A flour-free, intense holiday gravy that pulls depth from roasted bones.

Many bean soup with dried mixed beans, smoked ham shank, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a finishing splash of lemon juice. Classic slow-simmered pantry soup for cold nights.