Forgive the dash-of-that-dash-of-that style of this recipe, but when I hack things together on my own, that’s how I cook. Especially with pizza, you can’t be afraid to experiment and customize a recipe to your tastes. I mean, it’s just pizza! This recipe assumes you’ll either be buying dough pre-made at the store or creating your own with a recipe like this: http://www.localdish.net/recipes/wheat_pizza_dough

Now I’m not saying this recipe isn’t complicated. It is. Overly so, and it helps if you have two cooks in the kitchen to get through all the steps with your sanity. But liking authentic Korean food the way we do here at Local Dish, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Adapted from Eating Well — which is usually a pretty reliable source for healthy recipes that are also delicious — this original dish was a little too low fat for its own good. The egg-to-milk mixture in the quiche-but-not-quite-quiche pie didn’t quite solidify and instead was crumbly. But the corn and tomato combination was fantastic. Therefore, I’ve added a bit more fat by increasing the amount of eggs, but still think this is a healthy dish that anyone could be proud to serve to their family, perhaps with a nice green salad alongside. NOTE: Buy a premade pie crust to make the recipe super-duper easy.

These pickles take only moments to make, but last up to three months in the fridge. Who needs prolonged and complicated pickling recipes when there’s such simplicity?

Try this. Try this now. That is all.

A fantastic appetizer, side dish or vegetarian main course, this is great way to use up your excess of squash in a tasty way (that’s not zucchini bread).

I received “The Sonoran Grill” by Mad Coyote Joe back when I lived in Arizona, but I haven’t tried too many of the recipes. When I recently dusted it off to cook this rice dish, I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it’s a bit of work just for a side dish, but the complex yet subtle spicy flavor hits the spot. It would also make a great vegetarian main dish. If you want to simplify prep, used the canned chiles suggestion.)

These super-easy kebabs are a great weeknight meal, especially paired with whatever other veggies you have on hand grilled alongside.

Is anything smothered in pesto bad? I mean, really? Having nut allergies in the family, I substitute toasted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts, and it still turns out great.

I’ve made many an Italian-style stuffed shell, but was unaware that there was a French version, let alone that it was so unique and tasty. While still a relatively heavy meal, I lighted up the bechamel sauce using a lower fat version from the New York Times.

Although I’m doing a take off of Ben and Jerry’s “Cherry Garcia” in this version, the recipe can easily be altered for any type of fruit, especially berries. Use between 1/2 to 1 pound of fruit depending on volume (2 big cupped handsful). Lastly, you can try the recipe with lower fat milk, but it will take longer to mix and might not have the same texture.

Don’t be skeptical of the raw broccoli. As the recipe’s name suggests, the crunch is really satisfying.

This recipe is more of a technique than anything fast and firm. Add shallots or garlic scapes, substitute any fresh herb you have on hand, and get a fresh side dish on the table fast. (Note: You can substitute 1 (10-oz) package frozen peas (not thawed) for shelled fresh peas. The cooking time will be shorter.)

This recipe is a great example of learning a technique that can then be applied to a variety of ingredients. If you can’t find asparagus at the market, substitute what is fresh right now: summer squash, winter squash, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, artichokes, etc. Learn from my mistakes, however, by melting the cheese with pasta water into a sauce before you add the vegetables back into the noodles to avoid clumping.

By accident, we made these gyros without the bacon and still absolutely love them, so if you’re looking to cut fat, it can certainly be omitted. While not difficult, making gyro meat is a lengthy process. If you’d like to start early to make things less stressful at mealtime, the ooked lamb mixture and sauce can be prepared through step No. 3 up to a week in advance. Store wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. To serve, continue as directed from step No. 4.