1,781 mellow recipes

Cuban black bean soup simmered slowly for seven hours with garlic, oregano, yellow onion, and red pepper flakes. Vegan, gluten-free, and meltingly tender. Slow-cook classic.

Grilled eggplant salad layered with yellow tomatoes, fresh mint, and a shallot-lemon vinaigrette. A stunning Mediterranean summer platter that pairs smoky grilled eggplant with cool raw tomato.

Black Russian bundt cake spiked with vodka and creme de cacao, doctored from a yellow cake mix with chocolate pudding, instant coffee, and cinnamon. Boozy old-school cocktail-inspired dessert.

Carrot coconut cake made with a yellow cake mix, fresh carrots, orange juice, and a broiled coconut-pecan topping with brown sugar and butter.

Carrot soup with North African spices: velvety pureed carrots warmed with cumin, coriander, and ginger, brightened with orange juice, and finished with a swirl of creme fraiche. A vibrant vegetarian bowl.

Chilled avocado soup blends ripe avocados with a lime-and-serrano-spiked stock into a silky, no-cream base, topped with cilantro cream and crisp julienned radishes. A cool, elegant Mexican-inspired starter.

Cabbage and lamb stew with green and red cabbage, lamb sausage, red potatoes, and Creole mustard. Rustic European-style one-pot dinner ready in an hour.

Chilled summer squash soup with fresh herbs: a silky cold soup of zucchini, crookneck, and pattypan squash pureed with basil, parsley, and buttermilk. A summer lunch or starter for six.

Mandarin orange sunshine cake made with yellow cake mix and canned oranges replacing the water. Frosted with a pineapple, sour cream, and vanilla pudding whipped topping.

Pizza Presto on a Boboli shell loaded with pepperoni, sauteed peppers and onions, black olives, and two cheeses. A fast homemade pizza ready in 25 minutes.

Chicken piccata with pounded chicken breasts seared in butter, finished with sherry, lemon juice, and capers in a quick pan sauce. A weeknight Italian classic for eight in 40 minutes.

Wild rice and bulgur pilaf simmered in chicken broth with tarragon, onion, and parsley. A nutty, low-calorie whole grain side dish with two textures in every bite.

Grilled Eggplant, Tomato, Zucchini & Squash Sandwich recipe

Maple nut bundt cake with swirled layers of cinnamon-sugar nuts baked into a pudding-enriched batter, then drizzled with maple-vanilla glaze. Starts with a cake mix but tastes from scratch.

Grilled vegetable kabobs with yellow squash, boiling onions, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms basted in Italian dressing with basil and parsley. Low-calorie and served over brown rice.

Chickpea salad with yellow summer squash marinated in lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and a touch of cayenne. No oil, no cooking, just bold bright flavor that deepens as it chills.