Recipe Sifter

No-bake French mint cupcakes with melted semi-sweet chocolate, butter, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract frozen in paper cups. Rich, fudgy, and truffle-like with a nutty crunch.

Moroccan tagine of okra and tomatoes uses a clever string-the-okra technique to keep pods whole while poaching in spiced tomato sauce. A vegetarian Maghreb classic served hot or warm.

Baked salmon fillets topped with pistachio-basil compound butter made from pistachios, fresh basil, garlic, and lime juice. Baked in white wine for an elegant, easy dinner.

Upside-down muffins with pecans and melted margarine in the bottom that become a praline topping when inverted after baking.

Single-serving sugar-free berry pie with mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) under a graham cracker crumb topping. Bakes in a 6-ounce custard cup or zaps in the microwave for a portion-controlled treat.

Basler Brunsli are flourless Swiss chocolate almond cookies spiced with cinnamon and cloves, cut into festive shapes. A traditional Basel Christmas cookie, chewy inside with a crackly crust.

Braised Belgian endive with framboise (raspberry brandy) in a butter sauce finished with lemon juice. An elegant French vegetable side dish with just five ingredients.

Citrus jelly cubes set with unflavored gelatin and built from real grapefruit and orange juice. A homemade pate de fruits style candy with no artificial flavor and barely any sugar.

Rempah, the fragrant Malay curry built on a fried spice-and-chili paste with garlic and ginger, then sweet potato, coconut and tamarind. The slow-fried paste is the heart of the dish.

Hot spiced pineapple tea simmered with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and fresh lemon. A caffeine-free holiday warm-up with tropical sweetness.

Four-ingredient baked apples stuffed with raisins and cinnamon, brushed with orange juice. Low-fat, diabetic-friendly, and ready in 45 minutes.

Snowball cookies made with butter, ground nuts, vanilla, and flour, then rolled in powdered sugar while warm. A classic melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookie.

I always do them, not only at Chrsitmas, sometimes I change some kinds of nuts, or use blueberries or strawberries, all go well!

Golden zucchini balti with yellow squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, and turmeric stir-fried in a karahi with balti sauce. A vibrant vegetarian Indian curry ready in 30 minutes.

Avocado Gazpacho skips the tomato and builds a green chilled soup from cucumber, avocado, fresh dill, and a splash of vodka. Half the avocado blends smooth, half stays chopped for texture.

No-bake cheesecake blending cream cheese, sour cream, and Cool Whip gets spread into graham cracker crusts and topped with cherry pie filling for easy refrigerator dessert.