Recipes with spices

This homemade sausage has a wonderful texture and outstanding flavor with a slight greenish tinge from the swiss chard and kicked up a notch with Frangelico liquor.

Old-fashioned ripe cucumber catsup made with overripe cucumbers, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. A heritage condiment perfect for using up end-of-season garden cucumbers.

Cozy chili con carne with chunks of beef, pinto beans, ripe tomatoes, sage, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. A long-simmered Texas-style stew for cold nights.

Grandma's quick pickled red onions, ready in 30 minutes after a hot-water blanch tames their sharp bite. A bright-pink tangy refrigerator pickle for tacos, sandwiches, salads, and burgers.

Traditional Jewish carrot tzimmes with sweet potatoes, prunes, brown sugar, and orange juice simmered low and slow until thick and tender. A sweet, comforting side for Rosh Hashanah or any holiday table.

Use this easy to make red chili gravy with enchiladas or with shredded or thinly sliced roast pork.

Smoky Western beans with bacon, pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils simmered in a spiced tomato sauce with cumin and chili powder. Easy one-pot comfort food for a crowd.

Gingerbread cream pie with a spiced molasses cake split and filled with an apricot-vanilla custard set with gelatin. A unique two-component dessert for gingerbread lovers.

Lacama spice blend with cinnamon, black pepper, curry powder, ginger, and nutmeg. A warm Middle Eastern and Indian spice mix for curries, stews, and rice dishes.

Another succulent corned beef recipe that is made with orange juice and a bit of honey.

Pumpkin nut bread baked in two loaves with rolled oats, walnuts, evaporated milk, and pumpkin pie spice. Hearty fall quick bread that freezes beautifully and improves overnight.

Frozen pumpkin mousse: a make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert with Italian meringue, spiced pumpkin, rum, and whipped cream. Chilled in a soufflé dish and served with gingersnaps.

Overnight coffee bread: frozen dinner rolls layered in a bundt pan with vanilla pudding mix, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and pecans. Rises overnight, bakes 30 minutes, made for brunch tables.

A moist tube cake where grated apples meet cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, and chocolate chips. Baked low and slow for a dense, spiced crumb that's part apple cake, part chocolate cake, and entirely irresistible.

Gobi Aloo is a classic Indian dry curry of cauliflower and potatoes with mustard seeds, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cloves, and turmeric. A vegan, naturally gluten-free side dish ready in under an hour.

Chickpeas simmered in a thick Italian tomato sauce with basil, oregano, and a surprising dash of cinnamon. Serve over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes for a hearty vegan meal.

From-scratch blueberry pie with toasted walnuts in the filling, a buttery sweet pastry crust, and a cinnamon-walnut crumb topping. Lemon zest brightens every bite of this three-component pie that's worth the extra effort.

Old-fashioned honey drop cookies with cinnamon, cloves, and raisins. No refined sugar at all. Soft, chewy, and warmly spiced with a caramel-like sweetness.

Cinnamon pear tart with a rustic whole wheat crust, warm spices, and juicy sliced pears. A free-form galette for two that's simple enough for any weeknight dessert.

Falafel in pita pockets: cumin and coriander-spiced chickpea patties stuffed into warm pita bread. A Middle Eastern street food staple made quickly at home.

Jumbles are old-fashioned filled sandwich cookies, two rolled rounds enclosing a smear of grape jelly with three peek-a-boo windows cut into the top. Vintage pantry treat.

Five fragrant spice pork is a quick Chinese stir-fry of marinated lean pork strips tossed with soy sauce, sherry, and aromatic Chinese five-spice powder. Ready in 25 minutes.

Lighter orange-scented cheesecake made with cottage cheese and Neufchatel, baked on a cinnamon vanilla wafer crust and crowned with fresh strawberries and orange sections. Brighter than classic.

Thin-pounded pork steaks coated in a spiced cornmeal and whole wheat crust, pan-fried crisp alongside red and green pepper strips. A 30-minute skillet dinner for 4.

Cake flour muffins with nutmeg, rolled in melted butter and cinnamon sugar while warm. They taste like old-fashioned cake doughnuts in muffin form.

Slow-cooker beef chili with pinto beans, green chiles, jalapeños, and a splash of balsamic for brightness. An Arizona-style chili that simmers 8 hours and tastes better the next day.

Roasted pheasant with cinnamon, basil and a sherry vinegar pan sauce. Game-bird main course finished with a butter-mounted reduction. Restaurant-style elegance from the oven.

Frosty low-calorie coffee yogurt shake blended with mineral water, a pinch of cinnamon, and ice. A light, creamy pick-me-up that's ready in under 5 minutes.

Crunchy candied pecans coated in brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Made in the microwave in just 30 minutes for easy holiday snacking or gifting.

Baked apples stuffed with dried figs, cinnamon, and lemon zest, basted in orange juice. A naturally sweet dessert with no added sugar or butter.

This is my favorite way of making them, by mixing all kind of dry fruit, seeds, oats with peanut butter and honey. It can be a quick snack, delicious dessert, or even a present in a jar!

Baked bananas layered with cinnamon cream cheese and heavy cream, sauteed in butter first for caramelized edges. A warm, creamy banana dessert with just 6 ingredients.

No-bean Texas-style chili with five pounds of ground chuck simmered in beer with garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and red chilies: pure meat chili that marinates for depth and feeds a crowd.

Beef brisket marinated 48 hours in red wine vinegar with herbs, then smoked 6-7 hours at 225°F for tender, aromatic slices.

Vanilla is the secret ingredient in this cross-cultural sauce, which is also delicious served with grilled or roasted meats, poultry or seafood.

A traditional Swiss Appenzell honey cake made with wholemeal flour, warm honey, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon. Dense, fragrant, and beautifully scored on top, this European classic is finished with icing.

A showstopping Persian jeweled rice (javaher polow) layered with saffron-glazed carrots, barberries, currants, pistachios, almonds, orange peel, and rose water. Topped with a golden tah dig crust.

Sharp cheddar, butter-glazed apples with brown sugar and warm spices, plus breakfast sausage on a crispy pizza crust. Vermont breakfast pizza is brunch at its most indulgent.

This carrot cake well satisfied my sweet tooth without making me feel guilty. Whole wheat flour and wheat germ provided the cake with some good fibre, by replacing half amount of oil with yogurt reduced the calorie and fat, and eliminating the frosting all-together made the cake much less rich and calorie-dense. But overall it was a very moist and delicious cake indeed.

A yeast based risen bread-like cake that's filled with a spiced apple mixture with an attractive lattice style presentation.

Mixed nut biscotti bake twice for that signature dry crunch, with pumpkin pie spice and a handful of mixed chopped nuts folded into a brown-sugar dough. Coffee-shop biscotti at home.

Spiced apple roly-poly rolls with pecans, raisins, and pumpkin pie spice baked in apple syrup. Dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with warm fudge sauce.

Avocado Kashmir fills halved avocados with a warmly spiced curry of eggplant, apple, and aromatic Indian spices, served over steamed rice with a spread of chutneys and condiments.

Try something new for dinner with this succulent beef dish that has an aroma which will make your family eager to set the table.

This stacked tostada layers crispy baked tortillas with spiced ground beef chili, kidney beans, and melted mozzarella and Monterey Jack. Cut into wedges like a Mexican lasagna.

Slow-simmered beef chuck chili with cumin, oregano, and chili powder, made a day ahead for deep flavor. Topped with sour cream and fresh lime.

Mai Mai sweet potato pie with coconut milk, maple syrup, orange juice, crystallized ginger, and walnuts in a coconut-maple crust. Topped with orange-scented whipped cream.

Roast pork loin rubbed with sage, salt, and pepper, served with a spiced cherry sauce of tart cherries simmered with cloves, cinnamon, vinegar, and lemon juice. A holiday-worthy roast.