Bell Pepper

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

It took me quite a while to remember a meal I used to loathe. You see, I was a kid who ate pickled herring and pig's feet with her dad. But my mom reminded me of the utter disdain with which I would greet the following meal, named for my brother's best friend, Eric Gisolfi. Eric has always been a hearty eater, but a picky one. This was one dish he never complained about. So, whenever he joined us for dinner I felt conflicted — fantastically happy that a new playmate would be joining us and absolutely devastated that I had to endure the ground meat and elbow macaroni so cherished by our guest. Try it out to see the mixed reviews you receive.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"Twenty-Two Eighteen restaurant here in Seattle is a sophisticated spot featuring live jazz," says Allison Webb of Seattle, Washington . "When I was last there, I tried a wonderful salad of baby greens mixed with roasted red bell pepper and feta cheese." At the restaurant, the salad also comes with feta croutons and a tomato-ginger chutney.

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.

You'll need a big glass bowl or a trifle dish to show off the salad to its best advantage. An accompaniment to Chicken Chili Verde .

Thick slices of eggplant are topped with a salad of roasted red bell peppers, feta cheese, olives and garbanzo beans; then the salad is drizzled with a tangy balsamic dressing. It's nice with a Pinot Blanc or a Chardonnay. Pears poached in red wine and served with chocolate sauce and a glass of Sauternes make a lovely dessert.

Because of its solid, chewy texture, tempeh (which is made from soybeans and grains) is a good meat substitute.

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.

It wouldn't be Christmas without some red and green on the table.

Serve with: Warmed tortillas and steamed, buttered summer squash. Dessert: Key lime pie from the bakery.

You can save some prep time by asking a butcher to cut the chicken thighs in half for you. This dish is particularly good served over orzo.

This is also terrific with yellow tomatoes. Garnish with thin cucumber slices and some chopped red onion, if desired.