Pastes/8 recipes

It's hard to go wrong with a combination of bacon and cheddar, especially when it comes down to twice baked potatoes.

A refreshing, tasty and light salad is made with crunchy lotus roots, carrot, celery and wood ears, tossed with a flavorful soy-ginger dressing. Make it a day ahead, keep in the refrigerator overnight.

A refreshing twist on classic Salisbury steaks. The added sweet red bell pepper, scallions and ginger really boost the flavor of the steak. The watercress gives a nutritional boost. This recipe could work equally as well served on a bed of mashed potatoes with gravy instead of the watercress.

I was out of Tofurkey Italian Sausage tonight and needed to substitute something else because I can't buy it. I had a cupboard full of Bob's Vital Wheat Gluten and some TVP, so I figured I'd try making it. When my hubby came home, he tried it and immediately said "Write it down! Write it down!" I guess he liked it!

NOTE: I think paste food color works better than liquid food coloring when tinting cookie dough. It's available in specialty markets and some party stores. Be careful: A little goes a long, long way.

A hearty and warm choice for those cold winter nights.

Incredibly fresh and crisp, the sweet sugar snap peas and the watercress flavors really pop with a perfectly balanced dressing highlighted by caramelized shallots. This quick and easy watercress and sugar snap salad is quite tasty, drizzling with the homemade Warm Sesame-Shallot Vinaigrette, a great side or a healthy supper.

Use seasonal kale to make this hearty and delicious soup. The garlic-olive oil crostini is a must to help soak every drop of yumminess.

This delicious vegetable soup can help you use your left-over Parmesan rinds and your leftover bread, with several fresh vegetables under a low temperature cooking, the soup is just flavorful.

Packed with great flavors and textures. This curry potato, edamame and lentil soup is delicious and full of goodness. Serve it with rice or bread to soak all the yumminess.

This delicious garden spaghetti sauce is packed with goodness and yumminess. It's thick, tasty and goes deliciously well with any recipe that calls for spaghetti sauce.

Pan-sauteed mushrooms are mixed with a mixture of barbeque sauce, tomato paste, cider vinegar and pickled chipotle pepper, which makes a delicious filling to the quesadillas. An easy, tasty yet wholesome week-night meal.

It's not a secret that my neighbors Chili is a potluck fav.

This one pot dish is packed with deliciousness and goodness. Sauteed assorted mushrooms are cooked in a flavorful broth, lots of Asian yumminess will for sure make your tummy feel very happy.

No watery and soggy breadcrumbs here. This technique delivers juicy perfect stuffed tomatoes with a bold and classic combination of flavors.