Bangers with Root Vegetable Mash
Bangers and Mash is a traditional English dish of sausages and mashed potatoes. In a little twist, I use a mixture of root vegetables for the mash and add onions and apple to the sausages. Great comfort food on a cool autumn evening.

Barley, Chicken and Mushroom Pilaf
This is a great one-pot meal that is hearty and satisfying. The dried porcini deepen the earthy mushroom flavour but you could successfully make the dish without them.

Bucatini with Fennel and Chick Peas
This recipe comes from Bonnie Stern's most recent book, HeartSmart Cooking for Family and Friends, a great source for delicious, healthy recipes for both everyday dining and entertaining. Bucatini is like spaghetti (use spaghetti if you can't find bucatini - ed.) but thicker and with a thin hollow inside. It takes slightly longer to cook but has a really wonderful texture. Although this makes a great main course, I also like to serve it in small portions as an appetizer. For a non-vegetarian version you can add 2 oz/60g. chopped pancetta to the onions and garlic. If you have a few smoked sun-dried tomatoes you could chop them and add for a vegetarian smoky taste. Use leftovers in a frittata or add dressing and serve as a salad.

Chicken Breasts with Mustard, Lemon and Herbs
With its piquant coating which flavours the chicken without long marination, this recipe is delicious with basmati rice and a green vegetable such as broccoli rabe, green beans or snap peas.

Chicken, Mushroom and Rice Pilaf
This is an easy pilaf made with ordinary ingredients. It is best eaten as soon as it’s made.

Chorizo & Goat Cheese Quesadillas w/ Arugula & Pear Salad
With a few simple ingredients, you can have dinner on the table in no time flat. This is a very quick and tasty recipe.

Chorizo & Goat Cheese Quesadillas w/ Arugula & Pear Salad
With a few simple ingredients, you can have dinner on the table in no time flat. This is a very quick and tasty recipe.

Coriander-crusted Lamb Chops with Mint Pesto

Corn and Shrimp Chowder
Don't hesitate to make this soup a day before serving if you have time; it will taste even better. Add the prawns just before serving so they don't get overcooked.

Fettuccine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
This recipe comes from Gourmet magazine’s new book, Gourmet Every Day, (Random House, 2000, $44.95, p.121). It makes a nice change from the ordinary basil and pine nut pesto and the sauce is ready in the time it takes the pasta to cook.

Fried Chicken with Goats Curd
Two good choices for local goat cheese are Okanagan Goat Cheese from Happy Days in Salmon Arm or David Woods' goat cheese from Saltspring Island

Frittata Caprese
Here is the classic combination of fresh mozzarella (bocconcini), tomatoes and basil in a frittata - great for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Grilled Tomatoes with Warm Chick Pea and Cous Cous Salad
This is a nice hearty grain and bean salad, topped with the sweet, field-ripened tomatoes of late summer. If you don't have preserved lemons, add the zest of 1 lemon to the dressing and the same to the salad. Buy or make the preserved lemons if you can; they add a great, sour-salty taste to the salad which works well with the sweet tomatoes.

Halibut and Prawn Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce
If you omit the cream, these seafood cakes have no added fat and may be cooked with or without oil (in a non-stick pan). They are utterly delicious and take only a few minutes to prepare - perfect summer fare.

Lamb and Sour Cherry Burgers with Mint Pesto
These burgers are an elegant change from regular cheeseburgers. The patties may also be served with mashed root vegetables for a delicious knife and fork dinner.

Linguine with Pancetta and Brussels Sprout Sauce
Calling all haters of brussels sprouts! You must try this quick recipe. Sauteed brussels sprouts are fantastic – nutty and rich – and paired with pancetta, they’re irresistible.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel

Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Warm White Bean Salad
This is a nice, simple way to use the asparagus which is coming into season now. For a vegetarian dish, leave out the pancetta and add a dash of chipotle sauce.

Penne with Spinach Pesto and Prawns
This is a good, quick dinner with a nice spring-like character. Feel free to substitute fish or chicken for the prawns; both are delicious with this pasta.

Porcini Pancakes with Wild Mushroom Sauté
A simple and great way to enjoy the foraged mushrooms of autumn.

Pork Pot-au-Feu with Sour Cherries
A year-round, infinitely variable favourite. This is just as delicious made with lamb, beef, or even chicken.

Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Prunes and Apricots, served with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
This is an easy and hearty winter meal which is low in fat and high in satisfaction. Add butter to the potatoes if you wish but they are delicious without.

Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Thyme
Any ripe, sweet pear will work wonderfully with the pork in this dish. If you use Bartletts, cook them for only a short time so they don't break down too much.

Pork, Squash and Sage Pot Pie
Any type of winter squash will work in this dish but butternut is the easiest to peel and cut. Use a good vegetable peeler to remove the skin, then cut with a sharp chef's knife.

Potato and Tempeh Hash with Endive Salad
This recipe elevates the granola status of tempeh to "haute bistro." It is nutritious, tasty and elegant - try it, especially if you've never ventured into the world of tempeh. Tempeh is a fermented soy-bean based protein-rich food which you'll find in the freezer case of Capers and Choices. The brand I use, Turtle Island, comes in several varieties all of which work well in this recipe.

Prawns and Bok Choy with Rice Noodles in Miso Broth
A hearty, simple, Asian-inspired meal.

Quick Ricotta Tart

Rice Noodles with Thai Snapper
A really quick, delicious noodle dish.

Roast Salmon with Horseradish Smashed Potatoes and Braised Leeks
This is a great way to serve the fabulous wild salmon in season now. It works with all varieties of salmon and even with halibut but cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.

Roasted Halibut with Fennel and Artichokes
Use the first of the season halibut in this delicious dish from Bonnie Stern’s Heart Smart Cooking for Family and Friends (Random House Canada, 2000, page 154).

Roasted Red Snapper with Olives and Oregano
This recipe comes from Mark Strausman's terrific book, The Campagna Table (Morrow, 1999, p.163) from his restaurant of the same name in New York. I use many recipes from this book over and over with great pleasure. This very simple fish recipe would be great with a salad and crusty bread, or with boiled or mashed potatoes and vegetables, or with rice or pasta. It's very versatile.

Roasted Red Snapper with Olives and Oregano
This recipe comes from Mark Strausman's terrific book, The Campagna Table (Morrow, 1999, p.163) from his restaurant of the same name in New York. I use many recipes from this book over and over with great pleasure. This very simple fish recipe would be great with a salad and crusty bread, or with boiled or mashed potatoes and vegetables, or with rice or pasta. It's very versatile.

Root Vegetable and Coconut Curry with Tempeh
A tasty way to incorporate more soy, in the form of tempeh, into your diet. Use all the vegetables, as listed, or a selection of whatever root vegetables you have on hand.

Saged Chicken with Creamy Arugula Semolina
This is a very easy, quick recipe with unusual and delicious results. The creamy semolina which comes from Patricia Wells' wonderful book, At Home in Provence, is really good and much faster than polenta.

Scaloppine of Chicken with Caper Raisin Sauce
The sauce for this dish comes straight from Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef, by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman (Broadway Books, $54.95, pp.60-61). In the cookbook, it is served with seared scallops and sauteed cauliflower – a stunning dish – but I also find it a great, simple sauce with chicken or grilled fish. Don’t tell your diners what’s in the sauce; they’ll never guess!

Shrimp with Lemongrass
Shrimp with Lemongrass

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Souffle Omelette
This is an excellent recipe for a quick dinner but it also makes a wonderful holiday brunch dish. Prepare it a day in advance up to the whisking the egg whites step. At the last minute, whisk the whites, fold them in and cook the omelette – voila elegance!

Soba Noodles with Chicken and Late Summer Vegetables
The sweet corn and tomatoes in this dish are an excellent complement to the earthy buckwheat noodles. Get the best, sweetest tomatoes you can, even if they are not small; just cut them up.

Soba Noodles with Chicken and Late Summer Vegetables
The sweet corn and tomatoes in this dish are an excellent complement to the earthy buckwheat noodles. Get the best, sweetest tomatoes you can, even if they are not small; just cut them up.

Soba Noodles with Coriander Citrus Prawns
This is a nice refreshing dish in which the bright citrusy prawns are a wonderful partner for the earthy buckwheat noodles. If you don’t have all three types of citrus zest, use 1 tablespoon of one of them; you’ll still get a great result.

Spaghetti with Brooklyn Clam Sauce
This quick, tasty recipe comes from Mark Strausman’s wonderful book, The Campagna Table (William Morrow and Company, 1999, page 144).

Spice-Crusted Halibut with Bell Pepper Vinaigrette
This is an extremely quick-to-prepare dish with a tasty crust of coriander and sesame. It's a nice way to enjoy the first halibut of the season. With this dinner, you'll even have time for a pre-dinner glass of wine and a glance at the Vancouver Sun

Spinach and Tomato "Tart"
A really simple weeknight dinner. Vary the vegetable(s) as you wish but try to stick to tender, quick cooking veg. (very young zucchini or other summer squash would be good).

Squash and Edamame Stew with Smoked Cheddar Dumplings
An unusual and delicious vegetarian stew with steamed dumplings. As with many vegetarian dishes, there is a bit of chopping to do but otherwise it's a snap.

Turkey Breast Wrapped in Pancetta with Sauteed Apples

Vegetarian Chili
There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe but it’s not at all difficult or messy to prepare. It can be made a day or two in advance (in fact, it benefits from a day or so in the fridge to blend the flavours) and it’s a very tasty way to incorporate more soy into your diet.

Winter Squash Stuffed with Maple Baked Beans
A simple, hearty, vegetarian or not, winter dish - good for a tree-trimming party.