• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup chopped carrots

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 12 oz. chopped mushrooms

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 yellow or red pepper, chopped

• 2 cups Trader Joe’s Steamed Lentils

• 1 14 oz. package of firm tofu (optional)

• 1 cup vegetable stock

• 1 lb. fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and chopped

• 2 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Yellow Curry Sauce

• Salt and pepper to taste

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Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add onions, and cook them until they are light golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and continue to saute, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cumin and cook for additional 3-5 minutes. Next, add the lentils, vegetable stock, bell pepper, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. During the last five minutes of simmering, add spinach and tofu. Lastly, add the curry sauce. Enjoy!!

This chocolate cake is very good with your coffee.

Cake:

• 1 cup flour

• 2 pinches of salt

• 1/2 cup cocoa

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 4 eggs

• 6 ounces of butter

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Preheat the oven to 350 °. Grease and sprinkle with crumbs a form with removable edge, 11″ in diameter. Melt the butter and let cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla sugar, cocoa, salt and flour. Stir in the butter. Pour the batter into the mold. Bake the cake about 35 minutes. The cake should be loose in the middle, but fixed at the edges when it is finished. Let the cake cool completely before being glazed.

Glaze:

• 2 ounces of dark chocolate

• 2 ounces of butter

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Melt chocolate and butter on low heat. Spread the glaze over the cake and brush the edges. Serve with fruit and whipped cream.

• 15 3/4 ounces canned garbanzo beans

• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 cup sesame or tahini paste

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• pita bread, sliced

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In a food processor or blender combine beans, lemon juice, sesame or tahini paste, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add olive oil. Process until smooth. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle loosely with parsley and paprika. Place bowl in center of large plate and surround with pieces of pita bread for dipping. May also be served with sliced fresh vegetables.

• 4 mahi mahi fillets (6 oz. each)*

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• ½ cup cracker crumbs

• ½ cup butter at room temperature

• ¼ cup macadamia nuts, chopped (optional)

• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, minced (combination of basil, dill and thyme)

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• Papaya-Mango Salsa

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* Any firm white-fleshed fish may be substituted.

Marinate mahi mahi in mixture of olive oil, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine cracker crumbs, butter, macadamia nuts, herbs and paprika; blend well. Divide cracker-crumb mixture into 4 portions and pat 1 portion on top of each fillet. Bake 8-10 minutes.

A show-off entrée that may be prepared in advance.

Chicken Strudel

• 2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cooked, finely chopped

• ½ cup finely chopped scallions

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• ¼ teaspoon tarragon

• 4 eggs, beaten

• salt and pepper to taste

• 8 leaves filo pastry

• melted butter

• bread crumbs

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Combine chicken, scallions, parsley, tarragon, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix well. On large, damp towel place 1 filo leaf. Brush with butter and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Top with another filo leaf. Repeat procedure until a stack of 4 leaves is prepared.

Spread half the chicken mixture down center of filo in a strip, leaving one inch at each end. Fold in edges. Using the towel, roll up leaves. Place on greased baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with melted butter. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients to make a second strudel. Bake in a preheated 375° oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature sliced into serving pieces.

A vegetarian option:

Spinach-Feta Strudel

• 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

• 1 cup scallions

• ½ pound feta cheese, crumbled

• 4 eggs, beaten

• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

• salt and pepper to taste

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Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Follow instructions for chicken filling.

A wonderful entree to serve holiday guests. Use a bit of pasta water and butter to make the sauce a bit thicker and richer – it will be so lemony good. Fairly simple to make and tastes really, really delicious.

Gemelli with Lump Crab, Mushrooms and Asparagus in a Lemon Butter Sauce

• 1/2 lb of gemelli pasta, cooked per instructions (retain 1/4 cup of pasta water)

• 1-2 tsp of olive oil

• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

• 1 cup of lump crab meat

• 7 spears of asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds

• 2 tbsp shallots, chopped

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• Zest and juice of 2 lemons

• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• 2 tbsp butter

• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

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Cook the gemelli per instructions, making sure to season the water with sea salt.

Add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and to retain the bright green color. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and let them cook (without stirring) for 3-4 minutes; stir and add the shallots to the skillet. Cook the shallots and mushrooms for 2 minutes before adding the minced garlic and asparagus. Add the lemon juice, zest and butter to the pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan along with the crab, asparagus, Parmesan cheese, reserved pasta water and parsley. Mix the ingredients until evenly coated and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Taste the pasta and add more lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, cracked pepper or butter if desired. Enjoy.