Spiced Beef and Spinach Rice

Everyday ground spices add oodles of flavour to simple ground beef. If spicy dishes are right up your alley, add a generous pinch of cayenne pepper along with the cumin and curry powder. Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt, if desired. Cost: $2.40/serving

Beef Koftas with Mint & Pomegranate

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These bite-size meatballs are tossed in a retro sweet and sour sauce that everyone will love. Grenadine, a syrup that you can find in the drink section of your grocery store, helps give this sauce its signature bright red colour. Keep the meatballs hot in a small slow cooker set on warm or in a chafing dish set over a flame.

One-Pan Jerk Chicken Dinner

Very little prep is needed for this tasty one-dish dinner—simply toss together and bake! We've made our own jerk spice, which will keep for months in a sealed container, but you can also look for a prepared mix in the international section or spice aisle of your grocery store. Serve with our Pineapple Salad.

Thai Coconut Lime Chicken

Katie Taylor of Thornhill, Ont., was inspired to create this recipe with chicken after making it with mussels. She serves this with jasmine or basmati rice, to which she adds grated lime rind, chopped peanuts, butter, salt and pepper. Kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass are available at Asian markets and some supermarkets.

Biriyani

Lemon Coconut Tart

A crisp almond-coconut crust filled with tangy lemon-coconut curd is a delightful way to end a big holiday meal. Coconut milk gives the lemon curd a rich flavour without requiring the addition of butter. If you are a lemon dessert lover, this tart is for you!

Beef Lugaw

Lugaw (pronounced “loo-gow”) is soup to which rice is added to make a porridge-like consistency. In the Philippines, it is often made with beef or beef and tripe; with pork stock, stomach and intestines; or with chicken and various vegetables. Beef lugaw is generally unadorned with vegetables, so serve a simple salad on the side. You will need a big pot to make the stock.

Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Brisket

Brisket is a hearty main often favoured for Sunday dinners. Here, it's a fuss-free weeknight option—just throw the ingredients together in the morning and come home to fall-apart-tender meat. Serve with mashed potatoes and tender-crisp sautéed green beans to round out the meal.

Dark Chocolate Cream Cups with Spiced & Pear Topping