Recipe Sifter

Sugar-free strawberry-pineapple-orange ice cream churned in a home freezer with light milk and a sugar substitute. Diabetic-friendly summer dessert sweetened by fresh and canned fruit.

Spanish gazpacho mashes ripe tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and garlic with olive oil and lemon for a chilled no-cook summer soup. Five fresh herbs make it sing.

Red dragon pie is a vegetarian British-style shepherd's pie with adzuki beans and brown rice braised in tomato and herbs, blanketed with mashed potatoes and baked until the top browns. Hearty, meatless, freezer-friendly comfort food.

Yucatan-style grilled shrimp marinated in achiote paste, orange juice, garlic, and warm spices. Smoky, tangy, and shockingly easy once the marinade does its work.

Kurant vodka cheesecake baked in a water bath with a graham cracker-almond crust, topped with fresh strawberries glazed in strawberry jelly spiked with more Kurant vodka. A showstopper dessert.

Tofu pineapple cheesecake with a graham crust, sweetened naturally with honey and orange juice, topped with kiwi slices. A lower-calorie dairy-free cheesecake alternative.

Elegant crawfish mousse with cream cheese, sour cream, brandy, and Tabasco set in a decorative mold. A make-ahead Cajun party appetizer that unmolds into a stunning centerpiece.

Lemon-Cheese Babka, an Eastern European yeast bread with a tangy cream cheese and cottage cheese filling, plump raisins and cinnamon-nut crumb on top. A bright, citrusy twist on the classic holiday sweet bread.

German oxtail soup (Ochsenschwanzsuppe): browned oxtails and veal tails simmered five hours, then strained, pureed, and thickened with a dry-browned flour roux and a finishing splash of Madeira.

Slow cooker eight-layer casserole with ground beef, rice, corn, and bell pepper in a chili-spiced tomato sauce. Just layer and let the crockpot do the work for 5 hours.

Slow cooker chicken fricassee with onions, celery, and carrots in a thick flour-thickened gravy served over noodles. A classic comfort dish that cooks itself all day in the Crock-Pot.

Shchi is a traditional Russian cabbage and sauerkraut soup with beef brisket, marrow bones, porcini mushrooms, and root vegetables. A deeply layered pot that tastes even better the next day.

Decadent chocolate cream pie with a graham and Oreo cookie crust filled with chocolate ganache folded into whipped cream and studded with extra crushed Oreos.

Engadine barley soup with ham, stewing beef, pearl barley, haricot beans, cabbage, and potatoes. A hearty Swiss alpine soup thickened with cream and simmered for three hours.

Italian herb bread machine recipe with whole wheat flour, oregano, basil, garlic, and applesauce for moisture. A hands-off one-pound loaf with no oil or butter.

Rotini with shiitake mushrooms marinated overnight in olive oil and red wine vinegar, tossed with prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, white wine, and toasted pine nuts.