Recipe Sifter

Sweet and spicy grilled oranges with brown sugar and cinnamon cooked in a foil packet over hot coals. A three-ingredient grilled dessert ready in 20 minutes.

Sweet and spicy grilled chuck steaks brushed with a salsa, ketchup, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard sauce during the last 5 minutes on the coals. A 4-ingredient glaze.

Sweet 'n' sour squash medley: zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans simmered in a cinnamon-spiced brown sugar and white wine vinegar brine. A refrigerator side that lasts for days.

Two-ingredient banana jam made with just ripe bananas and lemon juice. No added sugar, no pectin. Blend, simmer, and spread on everything.

Plump shrimp slathered in a sticky-sweet Cajun sauce with honey, brown sugar, and a kick of cayenne. Ready in 30 minutes and served over fluffy rice, this is weeknight dinner with serious Louisiana soul.

Sweet corn and halibut tamales wrapped in fresh corn husks with fresh-cut kernels, cilantro, red bell pepper and a whisper of cornmeal. A lighter, coastal take on traditional tamales that cooks in just 20 minutes.

A light, golden soup with sweet corn, ribbon noodles, and celery simmered in vegetable stock with a warm hit of turmeric. Just 20 minutes from pot to bowl. Vegetarian and low calorie.

Sweet pickled figs preserved in a sugar and vinegar syrup with whole cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. A classic Southern canning recipe for ripe figs.

Sweet lassi blended with plain yogurt, ice water, lemon juice, and sugar, topped with crushed cumin seeds. A cooling Indian yogurt drink ready in minutes.

Vegetarian sweet onion fajitas loaded with Vidalia onions, new potatoes, roma tomatoes, and carrots simmered in white wine with jalapeño and cilantro. Rolled up with Monterey Jack and yogurt in warm flour tortillas.

Sweet potato phoenix nests deep-fried between two sieves into crispy, golden lattice bowls. Just 3 ingredients and a stunning presentation for stir-fries or salads.

Red lentil dal with cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, green chili, and lemon. A warming, naturally vegan lentil stew with Indian-inspired spices.

A 2-ingredient sauce of currant jelly and prepared mustard, microwaved until smooth. Sweet, tangy, and ready in 5 minutes. Glaze a ham, dip meatballs, or drizzle over chicken.

Sweet and sour pasta salad with kamut spirals, kidney and black beans, red pepper, scallions, and basil. A protein-packed vegan picnic salad that holds up beautifully for make-ahead lunches.

A 3-ingredient strawberry jelly made with lemon-flavored gelatin and frozen strawberries. No cooking, no canning, and it sets in the fridge in about 2 hours.

Sybil Carter's homemade barbecue sauce starts with bacon drippings and builds layers of tangy tomato, brown sugar sweetness, mustard bite, and hot pepper heat. Doubles easily and keeps in the fridge for weeks.