Sauces recipes

Butterfly shrimp with snow peas, a fast Cantonese stir-fry where butterflied shrimp curl in a smoking-hot wok before joining crisp snow peas, straw mushrooms, water chestnuts, and a light ginger-garlic sauce.

Chili-crusted flank steak fajitas grilled with marinated tri-color bell peppers, onions, and Roma tomatoes. A bright, lime-kissed Tex-Mex plate wrapped in warm flour tortillas.

Crispy coconut-breaded shrimp with curry and cayenne heat, double-dipped in honey egg wash, deep-fried golden, and served with a fresh pineapple-orange-jicama relish. Restaurant-quality appetizer at home.

Stuffed red and yellow bell peppers filled with ground turkey, rice, navy beans, and a spiced picante tomato sauce. A low-fat dinner with real depth - Madeira deglazes the wok, fennel and rosemary do the heavy lifting.

Italian-style pot roast is a beef chuck braised for three hours with soffritto, tomato paste, red wine, and Italian herbs. Sliced beef plus pasta sauce over spaghetti, feeds eight.

Crisp lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, bean sprouts, and tofu tossed in a rich peanut-coconut milk dressing with red curry paste. A crunchy, creamy Thai salad topped with potato chips for fun.

Outrageous baked beans combines four kinds of canned beans with chili sauce, brown sugar, hot chilies, and crumbled bacon in a slow-simmered, sweet-and-spicy crock pot side built for cookouts.

Vegetarian nori rolls (murreita) wrap brown rice, mung sprouts, carrot, cucumber, daikon, and umeboshi plum in toasted nori. A macrobiotic-style sushi roll with no fish required.

Crispy deep-fried tofu triangles stuffed with curried tofu, mushrooms, and ginger in wonton wrappers. A fusion appetizer that's part samosa, part wonton, and totally addictive. Makes 30.

Crunchy Thai chicken salad with crispy wonton strips, bean sprouts, and peanuts tossed in a zesty lime-fish sauce dressing with fresh mint, basil, and lemongrass.

Louisiana courtbouillon with red snapper and oysters in a dark roux-thickened tomato sauce with the Creole holy trinity, mushrooms, and bay. Served over hot rice. A classic Cajun seafood stew.

Chinese sour soup with shredded pork, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and rice stick noodles in a clear chicken broth. Finished with white vinegar and sesame oil for a bright, fragrant bowl.

Chinese steamed translucent dumplings (fun gor) filled with shrimp, ground pork, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in a wheat starch wrapper.

Plantation shrimp with rice is a lightened Southern skillet dinner with sweet peppers, mushrooms, bay, and Worcestershire. The shrimp cook just until pink and fold into warm rice for a protein-packed low-fat main.

Quinoa Italian style layers cooked quinoa with a lean beef and tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan like a gluten-free lasagna. A high-protein, lower-fat twist on the classic.

Marinated asparagus is crunchy and full of flavor, artichoke or palm hearts perfectly match it. It is a great side dish in spring time.