1,099 telling recipes

Using sun-dried or oven-dried tomatoes and olives makes this delicious tapenade that can be spread over the sough dough bread, stuffed into bell peppers or chicken breast, or can be the replacement of mayonnaise when you prepare the sandwiches. Quick, easy and tasty!

Fresh tomatoes hollowed out and stuffed with mashed avocado, chili powder, alfalfa sprouts, and coriander. A light, no-cook Mexican appetizer or healthy snack.

Grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs brushed with sweet Heinz 57 and honey glaze: tender cubes threaded with peppers, onions, squash, and mushrooms, charred until sticky-brown.

Steak Habanero: pounded flank steak seared and simmered in a fiery sauce of roasted poblanos, onion, garlic, habanero, and cilantro. Served with warm tortillas for dunking. Bold heat in about 20 minutes.

Layered portabella mushroom pasta bake with wheat germ-crusted mushroom slices, chunky tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella. A vegetarian Italian comfort dinner for two.

Beau's notes: * There are no "jalapeno beans;" there are jalapeno peppers and pinto beans. I have two recipes, both of which are quite tref, but a Catholic should worry? But if you are hosting a Jewish person, smoked turkey will substitute most agreeably for the chazer called for in either recipe.]

Traditional Panforte di Siena with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, candied orange peel, citron, cocoa, and honey syrup cooked to soft ball stage. A dense Italian Christmas confection.

Italian vegetarian lasagna layered with sherry-sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, and bell peppers with a three-cheese ricotta-cottage-Parmesan filling. Lighter than meat lasagna, still hearty.

Classic Poires Belle Helene with whole pears poached in vanilla syrup, served with vanilla ice cream and warm homemade chocolate sauce. An elegant French dessert.

Potatoes Rio Grande with boiled potato cubes tossed in a skillet with green chiles, garlic, stewed tomatoes, and bell pepper, topped with melted cheddar. A Tex-Mex potato side dish.

Mediterranean monkfish kebabs marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic, and rosemary, then grilled with bell pepper between meaty cubes of fish. A firm fish that grills like lobster without falling apart.