2,304 mild recipes

Dahi vada made with urad and moong dal, deep-fried into golden fritters, soaked in water, then served in spiced yogurt. A classic Indian appetizer with creamy, tangy contrast.

Brown rice breakfast bowl with chopped figs and nutmeg, served warm with milk or yogurt. A simple, diabetic-friendly whole grain breakfast for one with natural sweetness.

A fun take on breadsticks; baked rolls that use candied cherries twisted into the shape of a candy cane. Fun and lightly sweet, my kids adore them.

Golden apricot nog made from simmered dried apricots blended with skim milk, vanilla, nutmeg, and stiff meringue, spiked with rum or brandy. A fruity, lighter twist on traditional holiday eggnog.

Seafood crepes stuff thin pancakes with poached monkfish, scallops, and shrimp bound in a garlic-infused Gruyère cream sauce, then bake until bubbling. A French bistro starter or light luncheon dish that punches well above its ingredient list.

Hunkar begendi, a classic Turkish dish of smoked eggplant folded into a creamy bechamel sauce with mozzarella and nutmeg. Smoky, silky, and rich from charring the eggplant whole.

Classic Italian bechamel sauce (Salsa di Balsamella) made with butter, flour, and warm milk, seasoned with nutmeg and cayenne. A smooth, creamy base for lasagna, pasta bakes, and gratins.

Chocolate marshmallow drop cookies topped with a soft melted marshmallow, glossy cocoa icing, and a pecan half. Like a homemade Mallomar in cookie form, made for cookie tins and lunchboxes.

No-bake marshmallow cream peach pie folds melted marshmallows, whipped cream, and diced fresh peaches into a graham cracker crust. Five ingredients, no oven, hours of fridge time for a cool summer slice.

Kartoffel Torte is a German chocolate potato cake with mashed potatoes, cocoa, pecans, and maraschino cherries baked in a tube pan and drizzled with powdered sugar icing.

A lattice-topped mincemeat tart for Christmas: spiced fruit mincemeat baked in a crisp butter-and-lard shortcrust under a delicate woven lattice, dusted with icing sugar. One big tart instead of fiddly individual pies.

Low-fat potato, leek, mushroom, and spinach soup pureed smooth with no cream. A vibrant green, flavor-packed bowl ready in 45 minutes from pantry basics.

See's-style fudge with three bags of chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and nuts. This old-fashioned recipe makes 5 pounds of rich, creamy fudge for holiday candy trays.

3-ingredient chocolate pecan clusters made in the microwave. Milk chocolate chips and broken pecans spooned into candy cups and chilled until firm. No baking required.

Easy drop shortcakes from biscuit baking mix, sugar, margarine, and milk. Just stir, scoop, and bake into tender golden cakes, then split and pile high with sweetened strawberries and whipped cream.

Cheddar cheese biscuits brushed with fresh garlic butter, a quick copycat of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits made from biscuit mix. Drop-and-bake, golden, and ready in about 25 minutes.