Recipe Sifter

Vegetarian lentil hazelnut loaf with romano cheese and basil, topped with a fresh red pepper tomato sauce. A satisfying meatless main with serious flavor depth.

Sesame amaranth cake with triple-sesame flavor from tahini, sesame oil, and ground sesame seeds. Dense, golden, and honey-sweetened with a halvah-like richness and satisfying crumble.

Seared chicken breasts draped in a glossy blackberry pan sauce with sautéed mushrooms and shallots. Sweet, earthy, and elegant, all in 30 minutes with everyday ingredients.

Sauteed chicken livers coated in seasoned pancake flour with garlic and basil, pan-fried golden with onions and mushrooms. Serve over rice pilaf or as a rich appetizer.

Homestead salad with mixed vegetables and kidney beans in a cooked sweet vinegar dressing with mustard. Make a day ahead for the best flavor.

Vegan cheese sauce made with nutritional yeast, flour, garlic powder, and margarine. A dairy-free nacho-style sauce that thickens on the stove in under 20 minutes from pantry staples.

Creole or red jambalaya includes tomatoes while the Cajun style does not. Either way, it is a spicy and robust dish that epitomizes the soul of New Orleans. Here's my recipe for Cajun style jambalaya.

Gingerbread rice bran muffins made with whole wheat flour, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and raisins. Low-fat, egg yolk-free, and high in fiber for a healthier breakfast muffin.

Cindy Schweitzer of Muskego offered this cherry twist on melt-in-your-mouth finger cookies.

Quick pan-fried trout fillets in seasoned flour, crispy outside and tender inside. Ten minutes from stove to table, served over peppery watercress.

Ninfa's green sauce is the legendary Houston Tex-Mex table dip: simmered green tomatoes, tomatillos, and jalapeños puréed with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, and garlic. Pale jade, creamy, dangerously dippable.

Sugarplum cookies with dried or candied fruit hidden inside each ball of vanilla sugar cookie dough. Topped with creamy frosting and colored sugar for Christmas cookie trays.

These rich chocolate-toffee bars from Mary Lueke of Menasha were our top pick in the bar category.

Fluffy buttermilk dumplings loaded with fresh herbs and celery leaves. Butter cut into the dough gives them a tender, biscuit-like texture that soaks up stew beautifully.

Russian pickled whitefish briefly baked in a white wine, vinegar, and dill brine with coriander and mustard. Served cold as a tangy, elegant chilled fish dish.

A big-batch green tomato pickle with sliced onions, vinegar, sugar, and pickling spices. Brined overnight, simmered briefly, and canned into 6 to 7 pints for the pantry.