Recipe Sifter

Jolof rice with black-eyed peas, eggplant, tomatoes, and brown rice cooked in a spicy tomato-ginger sauce with curry and cayenne. A hearty West African one-pot vegetarian meal.

Spice up your tortilla chips with this creamy dip that's perfect for dinner parties.

Microwave breakfast couscous cooked in orange juice with honey, almonds, cinnamon, and orange zest. A warm, citrusy low-fat morning cereal that's on the table in 15 minutes flat.

Paper-thin cucumber slices with creamy goat cheese, lemon juice, and hazelnut oil. An elegant, no-cook salad where ingredient quality is everything. Simple, refined, and fresh.

The classic Sidecar cocktail: brandy, triple sec, and fresh lemon juice shaken and strained into a chilled glass with a lemon twist. A bright, balanced brandy sour that's been a cocktail-hour staple since the 1920s.

Miniature bagels made from scratch with a proper boil-then-bake method, topped with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or onion flakes. Bite-sized, chewy bagels that freeze beautifully.

Baked apricot rice pudding with a broiled brown sugar crust. Skim milk, egg substitute, and fresh apricots in a water bath make a creamy low-fat custard with a brulee-style finish.

Tossed salad pizza with Caesar-dressed greens, tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta on a mozzarella-melted bread shell. Fun Italian-style salad-meets-pizza lunch.

Shrimp marinated in honey, orange spice tea, and rice vinegar, then grilled on skewers. Reduced marinade becomes a gingery dipping sauce.

Homemade yeast breadsticks, plain or seeded with fennel, caraway, or poppy seeds. Thin, crispy, bakery-style sticks that keep for weeks stored airtight.

Char siu bao (barbecued pork buns) wrap fluffy white yeasted dough around diced Chinese BBQ pork in oyster-hoisin sauce, then steam into the iconic Cantonese dim sum classic. Sweet, savory, and pillowy soft.

Gingered shrimp noodle soup with snap peas, radishes, and a zippy rice vinegar broth, ready in 15 minutes from a packet of soup noodle mix. Fast weeknight dinner with real crunch.

Pop the Cork Pasta Crunch: deep fried corkscrew macaroni tossed in Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt. A crispy, addictive party snack or appetizer.

Three-ingredient sausage cheese dip with melted sharp cheddar spread, browned sausage, diced tomatoes, and green chilies. A quick game day or party dip.

Light spinach dip made with low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt instead of sour cream. Fresh spinach, lemon juice, and green onions in a creamy, tangy base.

Chewy oat cookies loaded with dried blueberries, white chocolate chips, and crystallized ginger, plus wheat germ for a wholesome twist. Puffy, golden-edged, and baked in under 10 minutes for a cookie that's equal parts treat and fuel.