Here are some recipes that I've created that are somewhat simple and liked by the family:
 
Four Cupper Tortellini Salad
History:
My wife and I have a delicious dip that we got from a murder mystery dinner game a long time ago.  Well, we often have leftovers of the artichokes and roasted red peppers that we don't know what to do with.  This recipe addresses that issue.

Ingredients:
12 oz dried tortellini
1T margarine
1 cup diced pimientos
1 cup diced artichoke hearts
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced packed spinach
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

How to:
Boil the tortellini until tender, drain, and rinse with water.
Fry the margarine and add the pimientos, artichoke hearts, and garlic.
Cook until garlic starts to brown
Add the spinach and wilt.
Toss in tortellini.
Add the parmesan cheese and some black pepper.

To Serve:
Serve warm with cottage cheese for a complete protein.
 
Rice Vinegar Cole Slaw
History:
We had just made several cabbage dishes but still have a stubborn 1/4 of a head of cabbage left over.  Knowing that Chris likes celery seed, hates creamy (sour cream or mayonnaise) based cole slaws, I whipped this one up and she liked it so much she ate the remaining bit as a snack late the night we had it for dinner. 

Ingredients:
1/4 head of cabbage
1/2 c. scallions
1 med. carrot
1 t celery seed
1 T sugar
2 T oil
6 T rice vinegar (unseasoned)
salt
pepper

How to:
Finely shred the cabbage.
Finely slice the scallions.
Peel and shred the carrot finely.
Mix all together and chill.

To Serve:
We had this with veggie hot dogs and some chips on the side.
 
Roasted Red Salsa
History:
This recipe took third place in a University of Arizona Salsa competition to foster professional development of women in the sciences.  It has a mellow flavor that is picked up by two forms of garlic, roasted and fresh.

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
1 head garlic plus 2 cloves
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
3/4 t sugar
juice of 1 lemon
dash cayenne
2 t cider vinegar

How to:
In a broiler, roast the four peppers while turning until blackened on all sides.  While the peppers are roasting, place the head of garlic whole, wrapped in tin foil, into the oven and let roast.  Remove peppers to a covered pot and let steam until cool to loosen the skin (I find using a paper or plastic bag to steam the peppers to be wasteful as you can't reuse the bag after roasting.) When you remove the peppers from the broiler, lower the temperature of the oven to 300 oF and let the garlic roast until soft, about an additional 20 minutes.  Remove the garlic from the oven and let cool.

After the peppers and garlic are cool to the touch, peel and finely chop, keeping the liquid from the peppers and pouring that into a mixing bowl with the chopped vegetables.  Mince the two cloves of raw garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients to the peppers and roasted garlic.  Allow the flavors to mix overnight in the refrigerator.

To Serve:
Serve with chips or in other Mexican recipes where a strong garlic hint accents the other flavors.
 
German Potato Salad
History: 
I like German potato salad, but Chris does not.  This is a vegetarian version of the classic potato salad that can be served hot or cold.  Max liked it both ways.

Ingredients:
5 medium red potatoes
1/2 cup sliced green pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 T butter
1/2 cup bacon bits
3/4 cup vinegar
black pepper
1.5 - 2 t sugar replacer

How to:
Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let them sit in the water for 10-30 minutes before draining.  Thinly slice.
Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet and add the green pepper and onion.  Saute until soft, but before the onions start to turn brown.
Add everything to the skillet and stir until the vinegar is mostly evaporated. 

To Serve:
We had this with veggie hot dogs one day and then I had the leftovers with tofu tuna fish sandwiches the next.
 
Vodka Cream Sauce Risotto
History:
Chris really likes to make risotto... There's something about stirring in a wine/broth combo while drinking wine that she likes.  I don't really like the wine based ones but I do like the idea of risotto and the creaminess, even without cheese added.  This recipe melds part of a vodka cream sauce Chris found online with what I like about risotto.

Ingredients:
1 c. Arborio rice
2 c. water
1 vegetarian bouillon cube for 2 c. water
Sauce:
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1.5 T olive oil
1.5 T dried basil
1/4 t sugar substitute
1/4 c. vodka
1/2 c. cream

How to:
Heat the broth and bouillon until boiling.
Meanwhile heat up the Arborio rice in a warm saucepan until heated, but not browning.  While you do this, peel and mince the garlic and organize everything else you need.
Add 1/2 c. boiling broth to the rice and stir continuously as you heat it.  If you are too warm on the rice, the water will flash vaporize and you'll need to add more almost immediately.  You want to be at the point where you add some and it absorbs slowly into the rice as you stir.  Add the broth in 1/4 c. increments as you keep stirring.  Start to check the rice when you have about 1/2 c. broth left that you haven't added and see if it is al dente.  If it is not, add more broth.  Keep going until you either run out of broth or it is al dente.  If you run out of broth, switch to water heated last minute in the microwave.
When you are done with the risotto, get another pot to make the sauce in.   This recipe used the empty broth pot with a remaining 1T broth in it plus the oil. 

Add the garlic to the pot and stir until fragrant, but not brown.
Add the red pepper flakes before adding the tomatoes. 
Simmer 5 minutes.
Add vodka and simmer 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the basil and sugar and heat through for 5 minutes. 
Puree everything with the cream in a food processor.