Dairy Free

This egg-less pasta dough—perfect for hand made shapes, like orrechiette, cavatelli and pici—quickly comes together in the food processer. For an even easier approach, use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and let the machine do all the kneading.

Folks in St. Louis pride themselves on their ribs. You could say it's the city's signature dish. Growing up in the projects like we did, we didn't have a barbecue pit or a smoker, so when we wanted ribs, my mom came up with this way of doing them in the oven. Another way she'd make her ribs was to cut the rack into small slabs of two or three ribs, marinate and season them, and then fry them up—just like you'd do a pork chop. Serve with potato salad or mac and cheese.

Ancho chilies are dried Poblano chilies, and have an earthy, sweet flavor and mild heat level. This classic tortilla soup is a creative way to use leftover turkey—substitute 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked turkey for the chicken.

Beets are typically prepared with sweet and sour flavors. In this recipe, roasting brings out the sweetness and a balsamic glaze adds the piquant notes.

Smoked Paprika adds sweet, smoky flavor and beautiful color to roasted turkey. Everyone will be thankful for this centerpiece of the holiday table.

A sweet-smoky rub featuring smoked paprika, brown sugar and cinnamon complements salmon's moderate flavor and moist meaty texture. Served on a bed of sautéed spinach, this dish makes a lovely presentation for entertaining.

The combination of melon, marjoram, and sweet moscato vinegar in this delicate salad tastes like summer to me. When I serve guests this dish, I like to watch them take their first bite and enjoy a moment of pure bliss as the melon juices run down their chin.

Coarsely cracked Peppercorn Mélange is the key ingredient in the spice rub for this special-occasion beef rib roast. The seasonings flavor the meat and develop a spicy crust. Be sure to allow a 15-minute standing time before carving so the meat temperature will rise and the meat will carve more easily.

During the developing and testing process for this book, this dish became Hubby's new favorite. Totally unexpected—I was sure he'd steal a line from the kids and say, "Thank you anyway, but this is not my taste." (We taught them to say that instead of "Ooo, yick!") It's just not the usual stuff and spices he goes for, but apparently the combination was soooo his taste. And mine, too. It's one of those winner recipes that will make you dance around your kitchen. You may hug me now.

Maybe you forgot his or her birthday, or maybe you didn't forget, maybe you never even knew, but jeez, it's today, really? This cake won't work for a kid's birthday—that calls for more...of everything—but if you just got home, dinner isn't even made, and it turns out it is someone special's day, you just have to bust out a cake, and this one is all from the pantry and requires minimal gear and cleanup. Send him out for a pint of ice cream or suggest she use the shower first-this cake can be in the oven before your celebrant gets back. Thirty minutes later and it's out and cooling on the counter. Fair warning: this cake is like that guy who never moves out of his parents' house—born there, no matter how ready it seems, it falls to pieces when you try to get it out. Cut into wedges and lever them out individually, then cover your tracks with vanilla ice cream or plain or chocolate whipped cream.

This chicken takes about 10 minutes to pull together and then about a half hour of mostly hands-off time in the oven. In theory, you could time things so the chicken is ready as soon as the kids go to sleep. But if you can't for the life of you figure out a way to steal the few minutes needed for prep while the kids are awake, then just take care of step 1: Preheat the oven.

I love Jim Lahey's crust because it's thin, crispy, and so very reliable. I can't ever remember a night where it didn't work. When we're feeling healthy, we replace the white flour with whole wheat flour-if you want to be sneaky about it with the kids, you can start by just replacing half with whole wheat flour. We usually use one ball of dough for one dinner and then freeze the extra for another dinner later. To thaw, remove from freezer about two to three hours before using and work it with your hands if it's still stiff.

This Bloody Mary ditches traditional bottled tomato juice for the freshly pressed stuff made from Sun Gold or yellow tomatoes.

To choose a fresh tomatillo, they should be firm and the husks mostly intact. A split is ok, but you want them looking pretty tight. Roast the onions here if you like a deeper, caramelized flavor, or add them in raw for a more authentic salsa.

The glorious thing about delicata squash opposed to other autumn squash is that the skin is absolutely edible once roasted. The maple and spice here play off it's naturally sweet flavor.

Fresh and bright, with the pure flavors of sweet corn and tart lime juice, this creamy, vegan soup is choice for a light meal on a late summer day.

Balsamic-marinated steak cooks over the broccolini and white beans in this sheet-pan dinner, flavoring them with its tasty juices.

The juices from cumin-rubbed chicken thighs soak into grapes, fennel, and squash as they all roast together in this simple, flavorful one-pan dinner.