15 pastel recipes

Aunt Catherine's Italian Cookies: a heirloom cookie with almond extract, cinnamon, and chopped nuts, finished in pastel-colored powdered sugar icing. Stores for months in tins.

A classic and tasty Thai food. Fresh green beans, sweet potatoes and versatile tofu are cooked in creamy coconut milk and delicious yet spicy Thai curry paste. A little cilantro and fresh lime juice added in the end brightens up the whole dish and adds tons of refreshing taste.

Seems too good to be true, but this succulent dish can be enjoyed with some help from the crockpot that is stashed away in your cupboard.

Italian lentils with sausage simmers fresh sausage in broth while earthy lentils cook with sage, soffritto, and tomato paste. A rustic Umbrian-style main or New Year lucky dish.

Quick vegetable curry simmers potato and frozen mixed vegetables in a spiced tomato sauce built from bloomed curry powder and tomato paste. A budget-friendly, vegan weeknight dinner in about 35 minutes.

Vegan baked squash and yams layered with tomato sauce, soy milk, and chili garlic paste. A plant-based casserole with a sweet, savory, and spicy edge.

Spicy garbanzo beans cooked with whole mustard seeds, cinnamon, ground cloves, and tomato paste. A warming, aromatic chickpea side dish ready in under 25 minutes.

Pureed dates blended with water and vanilla extract into a thick, caramel-like paste. A natural sugar substitute for baking, smoothies, and oatmeal in 5 minutes.

Traditional Passover haroset with grated apples, walnuts, hazelnuts, and sweet kosher wine blended into a thick, nutty paste. A 10-minute no-cook recipe for the Seder table.

South Indian vegetable kurma with eggplant, carrots, peas, beans, and potatoes in a fresh coconut-chili-poppy seed paste. A fragrant vegetarian curry finished with tomatoes and yogurt.

Pinto bean paste - a 3-ingredient homemade refried bean base ready in 15 minutes. Mash and saute cooked pinto beans in oil, thin with bean stock to your preferred consistency.

Ground beef and pearl barley casserole with tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, and tomato paste. A filling one-dish meal you can make in the microwave or oven in about an hour.

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.

Harira, the traditional Moroccan soup with lamb, chickpeas, broad beans, saffron, and a velvety tomato-herb base thickened with an overnight flour paste. A slow-simmered bowl with deep, layered spice.

Pan-seared chicken thighs with toasted fennel seeds, briny olives, cherry tomatoes, and a white wine pan sauce spiked with anchovy paste. A rustic Mediterranean one-pan dinner bursting with bold, layered flavors.