The cauliflower is finely chopped so it resembles couscous and better absorbs flavors. It’s then tossed is a light basil-lemon sauce with a hint of maple syrup.

Perfumed with cinnamon and saffron, this fragrant rice dish elevates everything it comes in contact with, whether a simple roast chicken or spiced kebabs.

Serve this cheddar corn bread with chili or ribs. The whole corn kernels and jalapenos make the bread’s texture way more interesting. Use a snappy Cheddar.

These fried Brussels are served with walnuts, capers, and a sharp red wine vinaigrette. Deep-frying Brussels sprouts give them a unique flavor and texture.

The secret to this intensely flavored mushroom risotto is not only are mushrooms part of the mix, but the risotto is cooked with mushroom-flavored broth.

For Chinese squash pancakes, strips of squash, or zucchini, are tossed with peanuts, scallions, egg, soy sauce, and flour and then are fried up in a pan.

Grits get the royal treatment with the addition of wild mushrooms, cheese, and truffle oil. These grits, with its earthy flavors, make an ideal partner to meaty dishes or by itself for instant comfort food.

Basmati rice is first cooked, mixed with apricots, onion, saffron, cinnamon, and then fried to get a nice crust. Pomegranate seeds give color and sassiness.

A brief fling in the wok is all that’s needed to cook these delicate pea shoots–also called pea vines. Garlic, chicken stock, and sesame oil lend flavor.

Turkey and fall vegetables stew is a saffron broth. Underneath is toothsome couscous. The vegetables include carrots, parsnips, squash. This dish is hearty and a great way to use up leftover turkey.

This roasted butternut squash pie is the ideal dish to whip up when you have hearty eaters, vegetarians, and vegans coming for dinner. They’ll all love it.

Brussels sprouts are shredded and sauteed until soft then tossed with cubes of ham and toasted pecans. If you hate Brussels sprouts, you’ll absolutely love these.

Mashed potatoes are mixed with root vegetables to make a deeply flavored, satisfying side dish. For the mashed potatoes, use russets or Yukon Gold.

This bread stuffing with bacon, sage, and onions is the perfect accompaniment to all types of roast Thanksgiving turkeys. It’s versatile and can be made ahead.

This grilled vegetable sformato is pretty and filling enough to be a main course. Inside the sformato are peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cheeses, pasta, and pistachios. It makes a stunning weekend meal.

For this hearty Moroccan tagine, squash, whole shallots, prunes, garbanzos, and almonds are slowly cooked until tender then is served over couscous.

This pepperoni spinach frittata is great for brunch. Have the ingredients ready and make the frittata while guests watch. The frittata can be an appetizer.

This Italian ribollita soup is dense with bread, greens, beans and is topped with caramelized onions. Rich with flavor, the ribbolita is a family dish.

This spicy tomato crumble isn’t your run-of-the-mill crumble. It’s savory and filled with a tangy chunky tomato base. The crumble reheats beautifully.

This strudel, filled with sweet potato, raisins, and cranberry, is a great lunch or side. Phyllo makes the strudel a cinch to make. Serve the strudel warm.

Fresh baked pretzels are irresistible. This recipe shows you how to make plain pretzels, cheese pretzels, caraway pretzels, bacon pretzels, mini-pretzels.

These eggplant wraps are a cinch make. Roasted eggplant, goat cheese, and basil are rolled in flatbread into wraps. The wraps are best at room temp.

Penne pasta is tossed in a rich spinach and ricotta sauce. Use packaged spinach and whole-milk ricotta for best results. Serve the pasta and sauce at once.

White asparagus and orange slices are tossed in a sherry dressing. Block olive oil is drizzled on top. The white asparagus and oranges lend a fresh taste.

Here yellow gazpacho, made from yellow beefsteak tomatoes, is paired with a ratatouille. The yellow gazpacho can be made ahead. Serve the gazpacho icy cold.