Recipe Sifter

Pear and parsnip salad with blanched parsnips, fanned fresh pear slices, green onions, and a light honey yogurt dressing. A low-fat, elegant side for fall and winter.

Meatless taco filling: rice-based vegetarian taco filling with garlic, green chiles, stewed tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Quick fat-free Mexican weeknight dinner option.

Softened vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt gets folded with fresh or frozen cherries, then piled into a chocolate cookie crust and frozen until firm for an easy no-bake dessert.

Fruity tofu smoothie blended with white grape juice, silken tofu, and fresh strawberries. A creamy vegan protein boost ready in 10 minutes. Swap in banana, mango, or peach.

Fresh tropical fruit daiquiris blended with light rum, lime juice, and your choice of passion fruit, mango, papaya, or guava. Ready in 15 minutes, serves 6. Your new go-to party cocktail.

A four-ingredient garlic dressing made with plain yogurt, low-fat Italian dressing, Parmesan, and fresh garlic. Light, tangy, and ready in 10 minutes flat.

Greek potato salad with dried tomatoes: roasted potatoes and concentrated tomatoes tossed in a bright lemon-and-olive-oil dressing, then chilled. A no-mayo Mediterranean side served cool.

Bright orange and red salad with romaine, fresh orange, radishes, red pepper, and onion in a cumin-cayenne lemon dressing. Indian-style five-minute side.

Elegant baked pear halves glazed with chutney and apple juice, dotted with butter and basted until tender and glossy. A refined side dish or light dessert that serves 12.

Melon and hearts of palm salad with honeydew, cantaloupe, and artichoke hearts dressed in a mango chutney-lime vinaigrette. An elegant, refreshing summer salad.

To the delight of clam lovers on the East Coast and Pacific Northwest, clams are available year round. OK, let's make some clams.

Couscous with sun-dried tomatoes, onion flakes, and garlic powder cooked in vegetable broth. A five-ingredient side dish ready in 15 minutes with concentrated tomato flavor in every bite.

Chocolate Chip layered shot with Swiss chocolate almond liqueur, Baileys Irish Cream, and peppermint schnapps. A sweet, minty dessert shooter that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie.

Chilled garbanzo and potato salad tosses boiled red potatoes with chickpeas, roma tomatoes, red onion, and spinach, then marinates for hours in the fridge. A lighter twist on picnic potato salad.

Chilled fruit soup with spiked melon: champagne-sweetened fruit broth ladled over vodka-and-tequila-marinated melon, grapes, and plums. A grown-up summer starter built for heat waves.

General Chua's chicken with oil-blanched pieces stir-fried with dried chili pods, ginger, garlic, and a tangy soy-vinegar-sherry sauce. An authentic Chinese-American classic done right.