Soup/Stew

Start with vegetable sticks and dip from the supermarket. Warm tortillas and a plate of sliced red onion, orange and avocado are nice sides. To end, sprinkle rum and brown sugar over fresh pineapple chunks. Look for the coconut milk in the Asian foods section of the grocery store.

This is a delicate onion soup, a nice change from the heartier types which are so well known.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

With some warm corn bread, this chili is a meal in itself. You wouldn't know there was chocolate in the recipe, but it adds a subtle depth of flavor to the dish.

Roasting the yams gives this soup its richness; a swirl of cilantro-flavored yogurt adds even more taste and color.

If hojiblanca or cacereña olives are unavailable, use other Mediterranean olives.

Tomato and Bread Soup

This recipe yields enough to have leftovers the next day. Serve with glasses of beer or Zinfandel for a warming autumn supper.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. The fennel is the special flavor in this soup.

Just like some Mexican moles, this chili has a bit of chocolate in it. Serve sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar cheese alongside.

In 1991, the National Cancer Institute identified phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables; these compounds may be cancer fighters.

To begin, offer a bowl of brine-cured green and black olives, another of marinated artichoke hearts, and some pâté and toast. The cassoulet needs only red wine and a loaf of good French bread as accompaniments. A pear or apple tart would add an appropriate French country flourish.

This is one of my mother's recipes and call me biased, but it's the best around. This is a vegetarian black bean soup, and one of the keys to its success is the quality of the olive oil: use the very best you can find. You can make the soup a day in advance and it will taste even better the next day. This is a no-fail recipe that I know you're going to enjoy.