This is the type of meal where people gush, "What is in this? It's amazing!" It is incredibly simple, both in ingredients and preparation. The key when you have a simple dish is to make sure you have quality ingredients: good chicken and good butter. Making spaetzle is incredibly easy as well.

I searched for an original, authentic Coney Dog recipe and unearthed a legend as storied as the Illuminati, closely guarded secrets and all. However, based on hours of research, I pulled together the details that everyone agrees on — like the very specific hot dog, and to NEVER confuse a Coney Dog with a Chili Dog.

Did you see the "kid-approved" on this recipe? It's true. They might eat all the pomegranate before you get it mixed in with the rice. This recipe is from Sophie Dahl, a chef who creates dishes according to the seasons. The flavors go together beautifully, with a wasabi-coating on the salmon for a little extra kick.

It’s pretty hard to describe why you should be psyched about peanut soup, other than taking my word for it that it is delicious. The base (the “Holy Trinity” of West Africa, onion, ginger and pepper) lays the groundwork for tomatoes, sweet potatoes and ground peanuts. This soup is satisfaction for the soul.

This vegetarian version of the Coney Dog is as authentic as the beef version (note all the *SECRET* ingredients!). Vegetarian tofu hot dogs are prepared the exact way as the original, along with crumbled cauliflower for the topping.

Local chef Sameh Wadi's cookbook The New Mediterranean Table is filled with gems. Wadi's spin on this Greek dish uses cinnamon to bring baked giant beans, tomatoes, and dill to life for a hearty, delicious vegetarian dinner.

This recipe is deliciously healthy. One of my favorite salads: organic, farm fresh beets dressed with a soy-ginger dressing, mixed with edamame, greens and sesame seeds. The dressing pairs perfectly with the marinade for the ginger-honey glazed chicken, which we bring you free-range and organic.

In Minnesota, we have a vibrant Somali community here. This dish originates from a type of stew that is very typical for this region. Beef or lamb are cubed and cooked with okra, squash, and seasonings, and served along with a fried flatbread.

How is possible to get so much flavor in so little time? Good question. Fresh, plump shrimp and fresh, plump pasta dance together in garlic, olive oil and parmesan and bring home how simple can be simply wonderful.

This is one soup deserving of a main entree status. After the bourbon and sherry cook down, what remains is a smoky complex depth of flavor that perfectly complements the butternut squash, tangy crème fraiche, salty sage pecans and sweet maple syrup.

This is one those dinners that makes the menu because — even if you've never heard of this dish — the flavors are undeniable. Plus it's a major bonus when my kids clean their plates. Okra is the star ingredient of this dish, coupled with potatoes, squash, tomato and spices. Serve with some fresh Somali flatbread.

Heidi Swanson is a chef with an obsession with superfoods, which are ingredients that make your body happy. Lucky for us, she is very talented at creating superfood dishes that make our mouths happy, too. These crepes are from her cookbook Super Natural Cooking, and make a delicious meal out of healthy grains, potatoes, cheese and homemade Chile de Árbol sauce.

In Cincinnati-style Chili the sauce gets some extra something special from Mediterranean spices, and it is served on a bed of spaghetti with cheese and onions. This version packs on the protein and fiber with ground turkey and whole wheat noodles, so this became a hearty low-fat dish that was completely satisfying.

This should be called "Fall Stew" because it makes the best of October bounty. Beets, parsnips, celeriac and fennel braise with pork shoulder in a cider sauce scented with rosemary and thyme. Simple and delicious.

Both of these recipes come from "Jerusalem," a must-have cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Both of the recipes have a new, yet universally enjoyable, flavoring for staple foods. In fact, you may ending up licking your plate clean.

Here we get full flavor of chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, garlic and seasoning of falafel, without all of the work. Homemade pita bread is ridiculously delicious, and easy, so this meal comes with dough for that and fixings for a side Greek salad.

If you are looking for a showstopper squash dish, look no further. Full of fall goodness, these beauties have it all. Sweetly caramelized acorn squash is complimented by natural wild rice from the Minnesota Ojibwe Nation, and touch of sage and paprika.

These quesadillas are all about the details. They are simple, but tweaking the individual ingredients make them special. The sweetness of corn is brought out by blackening it in the broiler. Black beans cook with avocado leaf and coriander seeds. Real quesadilla cheese that melts perfectly and no microwaves!

Made famous by the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, this salad was created by the maître d'hôtel in 1896 (!). An instant success, it's name persists over 100 years later. This salad is on the menu for Homegrown Foods for two reasons: 1) it is probably the only fruit-heavy item you'll see for dinner; and 2) it's the one salad that kids can't deny.

A cannonball is ham and cheese sandwiched in dinner rolls buttered with a mustard-poppy seed compound. The buns get wrapped in foil and bake until they are little bombs of joy. The recipe makes plenty extra to store and make a quick from-the-freezer fix for another wintery night.

My favorite understanding of rundown is "Jamaicans serve this when their budget is rundown". It is a Jamaican name for a thick sauce made with coconut milk and whatever else is abundant, like seafood or chicken. This curry is delicious, but what makes it over the top (besides the luscious crab) is the Nuclear Nectar hot sauce. Dang, it's good!

This is my go-to macaroni and cheese recipe, which seems like the perfect dinner for some blustery Halloween weeknight. Delivered with Ellsworth, Wisconsin extra-sharp cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs from Rustica baguettes. Hello comfort food at its finest!

These gooey wonders have all the greatness of the original, but are loaded with a yummy veggie mix, packed into a dollar bun with cheese and mustard-poppy seed butter.

Finding crowd-pleasing vegan recipes isn’t very easy to do, but these Japanese tofu bites fit the bill. Each little square is fried, then stuffed with grated ginger, caramelized soy sauce and topped with minced scallions. The salty and spicy Japanese-style soft pickled cabbage is a crunchy complement, along with steamed broccoli with sesames.