Loaded Spam sandwich on beefsteak rye with sharp cheddar, horseradish, Vidalia onion mustard, coleslaw, dill pickles, and thick Bermuda onion slices. A towering, no-apologies deli-style stack.
Crispy oven-baked chicken breasts coated in taco-spiced breadcrumbs with chili, cumin, and oregano. Served taco-salad style with cheddar, tomatoes, and sour cream.
Chunky Southwestern chicken stew with kielbasa, potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, and corn in a cumin-tomato broth. A Dutch oven crowd-feeder that serves 8.
South American pork and brown lentil stew finished with firm bananas and fresh cilantro. A surprising, hearty one-pot meal where savory meets sweet in the most satisfying way.
Moroccan tagine of okra and tomatoes uses a clever string-the-okra technique to keep pods whole while poaching in spiced tomato sauce. A vegetarian Maghreb classic served hot or warm.
A Moroccan-inspired beef stew marinated overnight in red wine with cinnamon, ginger, saffron, and cloves, then braised for three hours and finished with cognac-soaked prunes, almonds, and sesame seeds.
Grilled grouper marinated in tequila, triple sec, and lime juice, served with fresh tomato-jalapeno salsa. A margarita-inspired fish dish straight off the grill.
Greek squid baked with rice (kalamarakia pilafi), simmered in white wine, tomato, garlic, and rosemary. Tender squid rings folded into a tomato-stained pilaf.
Hungarian-style peasant potato soup built on a paprika-tinted blond roux with cubed potatoes, carrots, tomato, and green pepper. Simple pantry ingredients, deep flavor.
Quiabada is a Bahian Brazilian beef and okra stew with garlic, tomatoes, and malagueta peppers, simmered into a reddish sauce served over rice or angu.
Grilled marinated tofu with a Mediterranean chopped salad of tomato, cucumber, kalamata olives and parsley. Bright vegetarian main with Greek flavors.
Pan-seared fish fillets in a Mediterranean sauce of kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers. Ready in 25 minutes with trout, sole, or orange roughy. Quick, elegant weeknight dinner.
Ham steak cabbage soup with V-8, tomato, celery, and onion, simmered slow into a hearty hug-in-a-bowl. Low-calorie, low-carb pantry-friendly soup that tastes like a much bigger pot of stew.
Overnight souffle layers buttered bread, mushrooms, onions, bacon, Anaheim chilies, dill, and cheddar between an egg-cream-Dijon custard, then chills overnight and bakes into a puffy strata. The make-ahead brunch hero for holiday mornings.
Open-faced Santa Fe chicken avocado melt with cilantro-lime mayo, sliced chicken, ripe avocado, and Lorraine cheese broiled on toasted sourdough. A 15-minute lunch built for leftover roast chicken.
This summer lasagna swaps pasta noodles for tender zucchini strips layered with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, fresh tomatoes, and herb-seasoned tomato sauce. Low-carb, veggie-loaded, and ready in about an hour.