Minestrone Romagna Style by John Spottiswood

This is the way minestrone is made in Romagna. It's not a lot of prep time, but you simmer the soup for a long time until all of the vegetable flavors mellow into one mild but delicious soup. The subtle flavors of this soup are even more delicious the next day, so it is a good dish to prepare in advance of guests arriving for a…

Awesome Split Pea Soup by John Spottiswood

We made this soup by combining the best of two recipes...one from America's Test Kitchen and one from Cook's Illustrated's the Best New Recipe. I think this is a split pea soup that can't be beat!

Creamy Lentil and Broccoli Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a creamy, flavorful, and incredibly healthy soup. The next time you're in the mood for split pea soup (also very healthy), try this instead. It has a wonderful body and a great hearty flavor. If you haven't had sumac before as a seasoning, this is a great dish to try it with. Sumac is commonly used in the middle east to…

Harira Soup by John Spottiswood

This is the traditional soup served at sunset to break the daily fast observed during the 30 days of Ramadan. Recipes vary from family to family throughout Morocco and the rest of North Africa. I'm particularly fond of this version. If you have not had this before, you MUST try it. It is truly delicious!

Garlic Ginger Green Beans by John Spottiswood

These are an excellent, healthy side dish to any grilled meat. I highly recommend them with the Chinese BBQ chicken recipe below, but honestly these would go well with just about anything. Unfortunately these were tapped out long before our chicken, so make more than you think you need. They are great the next day too!

Marinated Asparagus by Robyn Savoie

This versatile recipe made with fresh asparagus can be made year around. Serve it cold or warm as side with any meal. My favorite way to serve this is grilling it. It produces rave reviews every time. Even from guests who may not be fans of asparagus.

Eggplant and Peas Stew by John Spottiswood

This recipe was invented by my good friend Brian Bedrosian. He recommends that you "Should drink red wine while cooking and eating for best results." I haven't tried this one yet...but every other Armenian concoction I've tasted of Brian's has been outstanding!

Warm Brussles Sprouts Salad with Almonds and Parmesan by Nancy Miyasaki

I adapted this from a Oprah recipe. She makes the salad with raw brussel sprouts. I couldn't quite trust that, so I blanched them lightly before slicing. This produced a delcious and slightly warm salad. I should have tried some raw and some cooked to see which method is best. Maybe one of you can do that and let us know?

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup (with Pressure Cooker Option) by Salad Foodie

Inspired by a recipe from New Paradigm Cooking (Sandbach, Terranova and Ware), I chose to forego the cookbook’s recommended 30 minutes simmering time in a stockpot, for a pressure cooker rendition which cut the cooking time to well under 10 minutes…

Chinese Vegetable Soup by John Spottiswood

I love to throw this recipe together when I am in the mood for a healthy and spicy meal. Just about every time I go to an Asian grocery store I end up picking up the ingredients for this tasty soup. This is not from any book...just pieced together from the great bowls of soup I've had in hole-in-the-wall chinese restaurants in the…

Creole Vegetable and Beef Soup by John Spottiswood

This was a tasty soup that we gladly ate two nights in a row. I added quite a bit of extra creole seasoning to my bowl, because I love the flavor. This soup would still have been wonderful without the meat (I scooped much of mine into our kids' bowls), but I'd keep the meat in in if you are not vegetarian as it adds depth to the…

EARLY SUMMER VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MINT PISTOU by Draeger's Cooking School

Japanese Spinach Salad, Ohitashi by John Spottiswood

This is a delicious way to consume large quantities of one of the healthiest foods on the planet...spinach! I came to love this when I lived in Japan from 1991-1992, and make it frequently now because it is so easy, healthful and delicious. Serve this with any Asian dish, or any meat and potatoes. It's not particularly spicy, but…

Baby Cauliflower Soup by Jennie McCluskey

Packed with healthy veggies, a soup for the kids. This soup I have made for my infant and toddler. Try it. You might like it. Hopefully, more importantly, they will like it! If you have trouble getting them to eat it, which I doubt, then freeze it in an ice cube tray and take out a cube and mix into your kids mashed potatoes or…

Marinated Brussels Sprouts by Micheline

These brussels sprouts are a bit spicy, a bit tangy, a bit sweet, just the correct combination of flavours.